Holding On To You
by MadameCissy
Summary: When Megan is accused of murder but can't remember what happened on that fateful night, Kate must do whatever she can to prove Megan's innocence. Throughout the fight, they come to realise that there is more at stake than just Megan's innocence. Megan/Kate
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** When you find yourself lost in a storm, you cling on to the only thing that makes you feel safe. But what if you lose your grip and you feel like you're going to drown? Can two completely different women, shaped and scarred by their pasts, hold on together in the most testing of times when one of them is about to lose everything?

**Pairing:** Megan x Kate

**Rating:** T – mainly for language.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Body of Proof or any of its characters. I just play with them and promise to put them back where I found them once I'm done.

**Timeline:** I started writing this before the season 3 premiere which last night and went back to it to change the names of the detectives as I had originally intended for it to feature Bud and Sam. Sadly, they are no longer there, the same goes for Peter so he won't be showing up here either. This story is set after the events of Abducted 1 & 2 (although we don't know how things are going to end). After that, I'll ignore whatever timeline is being suggested on the show.

**Authors note:** Well, I am new to writing for the Body of Proof fandom but obviously not new to writing fanfiction. I recently started watching the series and went through seasons 1 and 2 in a matter of days. I am hooked and Kate and Megan share am amazing chemistry on screen that is extremely intense. The love/hatred thing is a brilliant basis for any fanfic and there are some scenes that just makes you wanna scream at your screen for them to just kiss already. I felt I needed to write something for this show so here we go!

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_"And what was it inside you that love never satisfied?_  
_ The thin thread that held you, how did it come untied?_  
_ The grace you only ran from, the bridges that you burned_  
_ The peace of mind you learned to live without_

_ I hope you found it now_

_The burdenes that you carry and all of you mistakes_  
_ You're looking for a place to lay them down."_

_~Jason Walker - I Hope You Found It Now_

**I.**

Doctor Kate Murphy walked into the morgue, her white lab coat billowing behind her and her blonde hair falling down her shoulders. The sound of her heels clicking against the lino echoed around the room. It was just after eight o'clock in the morning and she'd been at the office for over half an hour. She'd flicked through the masse of paperwork that had somehow magically accumulated on her desk overnight, answered a phone call from City Hall and politely declined a dinner invite from the mayor for that evening. By the time she'd slipped her hands into a pair of gloves, Kate felt like half the morning was already behind her when in fact her day had only just begun.

"What have we got?" she asked as she approached the autopsy table, her eyes lingering on the body lying there. Their latest arrival was male and she estimated he was in his late sixties. He was well dressed in a pair of pants, matching jacket and buttoned up white shirt. None of the pieces of clothing seemed disturbed and at first glance Kate didn't see any blood either.

Doctor Ethan Gross, who stood next to the table, looked up when he heard Kate's voice. He was all gloved up and held one of the morgue's standard issue tablets. He'd been flicking through whatever information they had but now his brown eyes found Kate's blue.

"Looks like a single gunshot wound to the head." Ethan glanced back down at his tablet as Kate leant in to inspect the wound. "We matched his fingerprints to a Jonathan McEldery but that's all we have for now."

"Where are Adam and Tommy?" Kate asked. She was used to seeing the detectives in the autopsy room with the body, waiting to be officially informed about a cause of death, even though it seemed rather obvious in this case. She looked over her shoulder but found that the detectives weren't waiting outside the room either.

"They had to go back to the crime scene," Ethan explained. "Apparently there's a lot of evidence to go through and the crime scene was a bit of a mess."

Kate nodded and stepped closer to the autopsy table so she could inspect the body more closely. A single wound could be seen right between the victim's eyes and she arched an eyebrow. "Somebody didn't like him much. Gunshot wounds to the head like this one are mainly used in execution style killings."

"Tommy did mention that they found him sitting on his knees with his hands beside his body. He'd fallen forward a little."

"On his knees?" Kate asked and looked back at the body. "Whoever shot him made him beg for his life." She ran a gloved index finger across the wound and inspected it before reaching for a magnifying glass. "Black seared skin around the point of entry."

Ethan put the tablet down and he too leant in for a closer look. "Gunshot residue?"

"Looks that way." Kate picked up a swab from the tray to her left and dabbed it around the bullet wound. She then took one of the plastic bottles containing a clear liquid. She put a couple of drops onto the swab and held it up to her eye. The diphenylamine solution changed to a blue colour and a triumphant smile spread across her face. "Positive for GSR. The killer put the gun against his head. Only a direct contact shot would leave this kind of marking." She put the swab down. "Do we have a bullet?"

"Unless there's an exit wound, it should still be in his head."

"Bullets are high velocity objects," Kate mused as she let her hands slide underneath the dead man's head to feel for any exit wounds. She frowned as she found none and looked down at her hands. There wasn't a trace of blood on her gloves. "That's odd. You'd expect a bullet fired at such a close range to come out at the other end."

"What do you think could have caused the bullet to lodge itself in his brain?" Ethan asked.

"I don't know," Kate answered. "But we'll find out." She turned around and walked over to one of the cupboards on the wall. She took off her gloves before pulling out a clean set of scrubs. She slipped them on, bound her hair back in a ponytail and grabbed some new gloves. When she walked back to the table she inspected the tray of instruments to her right. It was all laid out ready for autopsy.

"Is Doctor Hunt still at the crime scene?" she asked Ethan as she began unbuttoning the victim's shirt.

"I think so," Ethan answered. "The body was delivered twenty minutes ago." He picked up a notepad from the side and inspected the paperwork. A frown appeared on his face as he went through the pages. "Hmmm."

"What is it?" Kate asked. She'd unbuttoned the victim's shirt and now carefully began pulling the lifeless arms out of his jacket. The evidence bags were ready and the lab would test the clothes for gunshot residue and other particles that could help identify the killer. As she undressed Jonathan McEldery, Kate kept her eyes peeled for any abnormalities like bruising on the body's torso. The harsh, unforgiving light in the morgue never made anyone look good but it did help to observe things that could easily be missed in a different setting.

"This isn't Doctor Hunt's signature," Ethan said and he looked up.

Kate stopped what she was doing and instinctively took a step away from the body. "Then whose is it?"

"Looks like Curtis'."

Kate heaved a sigh, relieved that they hadn't fallen victim to some mix up that could have had some serious implications. She ran her gloved hand across her forehead and her blue eyes darted to the large windows that separated the autopsy room from the rest of the department. She'd walked past Megan Hunt's office on her way to autopsy. It had been empty and she had automatically assumed Megan was out at the crime scene. The call of the body found in the alley behind an expensive restaurant in an upscale neighbourhood had come in just before seven that morning.

"Have you seen Megan?" she asked as she looked back at the body in front of her.

"I assumed she was at the crime scene," Ethan answered and at that same time the door to the autopsy room opened and Doctor Curtis Brumfield walked in. He looked from Kate to Ethan and back.

"What 'ya doin' with my body?" he asked.

"I assumed it was Megan's case," Kate answered. "Ethan just informed me it's yours so I'm sorry." She peeled her gloves off and shrugged herself out of her scrubs. Curtis approached the autopsy table and looked at the now partially dressed body of Jonathan McEldery. Kate followed his gaze and pointed at the swab on the side. "It came back positive for GSR."

"Thank you," Curtis answered. "I was expectin' this case to go to Doctor Hunt but when Adam called sayin' she hadn't shown up, I went instead. Looked like any other shootin' so I had the body transferred back here."

"Wait, Megan didn't show?" Kate asked, a hint of worry echoing in her voice. "Did anyone call her?"

Curtis picked up a set of gloves. "Went to voicemail. I gave up after five times."

"Everything ok, Doctor Murphy?" Ethan inquired when he noticed the sudden absentminded look in Kate's eyes. She seemed fixated on a spot on the glass but whatever it was she was staring at, he couldn't see it. She didn't acknowledge him so he tried again. "Doctor Murphy?"

Kate blinked a couple of times and snapped back into the moment. "Ethan, work with Curtis on this one. If there's anything you need, I'll be on my cell." She started for the door but turned around just before leaving. "Curtis, did you call Lacey?"

He nodded. "She spent the weekend at her father's house. Apparently he's in town for a few days."

Kate nodded and left the autopsy room. She walked across the department to her office. She picked up her coat and her handbag, double checked she had her car keys, and then started for the elevator. She pressed the button and as she waited she dug her phone out of her bag. She found Megan's number under the ones most recently dialled and waited. The phone rang several times before a click announced she had reached Megan's voicemail. Something inside of her stirred when she heard Megan's voice.

"_You have reached the voicemail for Doctor Megan Hunt. Leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."_

"Megan, it's me," Kate said and stepped into the elevator as the doors opened. "Where are you? Call me as soon as you get this." She hung up and slowly the doors slid shut. Kate rested against the wall of the elevator and an unnerving feeling settled in her stomach. It wasn't like Megan not to show up for work.

Megan Hunt lived for her work. Kate admired her devotion. Megan was driven and didn't take no for an answer. She managed to rub people the wrong way the second she walked into a room but somehow that attitude always got the results they needed. Kate had never been one to use elbows, preferring a more political approach instead, but it worked for Megan. They'd been working together for a little over three years now and although their relationship and budding friendship was often strained, at the same time they had managed to find some kind of balance that was based on mutual respect and a certain like and appreciation for each other.

Kate reached the parking lot and got into her car. She'd only ever been to Megan's apartment once but she found her way through Philadelphia's busy morning traffic without any problems. The radio played a soft country song as she waited for the traffic lights to change and she found herself drumming along to the melody on the steering wheel. When she eventually reached the building where Megan lived she found a space not too far from the front door and parked. As she got out of the car, Kate's eyes were drawn up to the building's windows. She knew Megan's apartment overlooked the front and she half and half expected the redhead to be staring through the glass.

She crossed the street and noticed Megan's car parked not far from her own. Kate frowned for a moment. It looked like Megan was home after all. She quickly climbed the few steps leading to the entrance of the building and crossed the lobby to the elevator. Before she got in she spotted the office of the landlord and changed her mind. She didn't know what drove her to knock on his door but a few seconds later her knuckles rasped against the polished wood. She heard footsteps inside and quickly took her badge out of her bag. The door opened and she looked into the face of a man in his late fifties, with grey hair and kind green eyes. He smiled when he saw Kate.

"Can I help you?"

"Sorry to bother you, sir, but my name is Doctor Kate Murphy. I'm with the Medical Examiner's Office and I'm looking for Megan Hunt. She lives in this building but didn't show up for work this morning. Would you be able to get me a key to her apartment?"

He inspected her badge for what felt like an eternity but then he nodded. "I can't give you the key but I can come up with you and let you in, if you want."

"Thank you." Kate shared her most impressive smile. "I'd appreciate that."

She waited for him to lock up his office and then they walked to the elevator together. Kate pressed the button for the floor Megan lived on and watched how the doors closed. With every passing second the unsettling feeling in her stomach got worse. It wasn't like her to come out looking for Megan but in all the time that she'd known the former surgeon Megan had never once not turned up for work. When the elevator let out a soft 'ping' to announce they had reached their destination, Kate jumped.

Megan's apartment was the end of the corridor and Kate knocked the door. It was soft enough to still be considered polite but loud enough to let Megan know she was insistent.

"Megan?!" she called and listened for any sounds on the other side of the door. There was only silence. She knocked again and chewed the inside of her cheek. "Megan?! It's Kate! Look, you didn't show up for work this morning and I just want to make sure everything's allright." There still was no answer and she turned to look at the landlord beside her. He was already fumbling with a set of keys. "Could you let me in?"

"Are you sure she isn't going to kill me for doing this?" he asked. "I know Doctor Hunt. She can be a little feisty."

"That's an understatement," Kate muttered. Her heart pounded in the back of her throat. The door was unlocked with a soft click and the landlord stepped aside, clearly wanting Kate to enter the apartment first just in case Megan was about to attack them. She pushed against the door and stepped into the apartment's hallway. Her eyes darted towards the living room. Even from where she stood Kate could see that it was empty. Hesitantly she walked further into the apartment and turned to her left, towards the kitchen. An empty wineglass stood on the counter but otherwise it was abandoned.

"Megan?!" Kate called. Her voice echoed around the empty room and her gaze fell on Megan's handbag standing on the table by the door. Her car keys lay next to it. She took a deep breath and started towards the two bedrooms. She knew the one that belonged to Lacey and knocked, although she knew Lacey wasn't here. She opened the door, poked her head around it and was confronted with another empty room.

Kate left the door slightly ajar, turned around and walked across to the other room. She had never been in Megan's bedroom before. She tapped against the door before reaching for the door handle. The second she opened it she knew something was wrong. The curtains in the room were drawn and a lingering stench penetrated her nose. Kate searched the wall for the light switch and flicked it once she found it. The room now bathed in a bright golden light.

"Megan?"

Kate's eyes were drawn to bed. Megan lay face down in the middle, only partially covered by the sheets. One leg was bare, the other was covered. She only wore a t-shirt. Strands of dark red hair covered her face and Kate rushed over to the side of the bed, falling to her knees when she reached it. Skilled fingers found their way into Megan's hair and pressed down against the side of her neck. She sighed in relief when she felt a pulse but the relief was replaced by panic when she realised Megan wasn't responding to her touch.

"Megan?!" Kate shook Megan's body but the other woman didn't open her eyes. Her limbs moved only because Kate made her move. Her eyes remained closed but now that Kate had rolled her over she saw the slightly grey colour of Megan's skin. Kate's blue eyes snapped up to the landlord. "Call an ambulance! Tell them to hurry!"

She lay Megan down on her side, into the recovery position, after checking her airways were clear. As she touched the redhead's face Kate felt it was slightly clammy. Her eyes darted around the room and she grabbed the sheets of the bed, wrapping them around Megan's exposed lower half. She didn't see anything that could explain why Megan was unconscious. There were no signs of injuries but as she came closer Kate picked up the distinct smell of alcohol on Megan's breath.

"What the hell happened?" Kate whispered as she brushed some hair out of Megan's face. She knew she didn't have much time and the paramedics would have to hurry. She cupped the older woman's cheek as she sat on her knees beside the bed. Megan still looked slightly grey although some of the discolouration had begun to fade since Kate rolled her onto her side. Kate's heart hammered in her chest and every so often she checked Megan for a pulse.

The minutes seemed to crawl by until the moment she heard voices and footsteps outside the bedroom. Two EMT's rushed into the room and Kate got up, took a step back and watched them work. One of them shone a light in Megan's eyes but even from where she was standing Kate could see that Megan's pupils didn't react the way they should have.

"What's her name?" one of the EMT's asked.

"Megan," Kate stammered. "Her name's Megan."

"Megan?!" the paramedic called and he pinched Megan under her arm. It was one of the methods used to apply a pain stimulus and it was meant to provoke the patient in responding but Megan didn't move. The EMT looked over his shoulder at Kate. She could see the worry flash through his eyes as he shook his head. His partner had applied an oxygen mask to Megan's and was now putting an IV into Megan's wrist. He found the vein in one go.

"Are you her partner, ma'am?"

Kate blinked and her voice suddenly sounded fragile. She picked at the hem of her blouse. "No. I'm err… I'm her boss. She didn't show up for work this morning and I came to check on her." She realised her hands were shaking and she briefly averted her eyes. The storm of emotions that came to life inside of her overwhelmed her and she tried to fight back the tears that were suddenly burning behind her eyes.

"Good thing you did. You may very well have saved her life."

The two paramedics worked in unison as they transferred Megan from the bed to their stretcher. The IV was now in place and Kate took the bag from the paramedic nearest to her and held it in the air. When he met her eyes she said, "I'm a doctor. Please, let me help."

By the time they wheeled Megan into the ambulance, the fear had taken hold of Kate. She climbed into the vehicle, still holding Megan's IV bag, and sat down. Her eyes were drawn to the other woman's face. She had regained her colour and Kate reached for Megan's hand. It was surprisingly warm and she swallowed as she squeezed it. Tears glistened in her baby blue eyes.

"God, Megan," Kate whispered. "Whatever you do… just wake up, ok? Promise me you'll wake up."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: **Thanks for the reviews so far, guys! It means a lot to know this story is being liked. I was kinda nervous stepping into a new fandom but you've made me feel welcome and at home. Enjoy the next chapter.

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**II.**

She was used to the buzz of a hospital ER, having worked in more than one herself. It was a long time ago, before she became the Chief Medical Examiner but there had been a time in her life where she had been part of a team of skilled doctors who fought to save people's lives. Even as she sat at Megan's bedside with only a thin curtain separating them from the madness that was the ER, Kate realised she didn't miss it. The adrenaline rushing through her body, the despair written across people's faces when they knew they were in a fight they couldn't win. Although many cases in the ER came to a good end, many also didn't. The work of a doctor was a fine line between life and death. Kate had crossed over from one side to the other years ago.

The soft beeping of Megan's heart monitor roused her out of her musings and Kate's eyes were drawn to the bed. Megan was still unconscious but she looked a lot healthier than she had done an hour ago. The greyness of her skin had faded but she still looked pale. Her dark red hair lay sprawled out across a crisp white pillow, creating a sharp contrast. The doctors had managed to change her into one of the standard hospital gowns and Megan's clothes lay in a brown paper bag at Kate's side.

Every imaginable scenario had run through Kate's head ever since she found Megan. Brain haemorrhage, blood clots, an undiagnosed heart problem… The options were endless and the next one was perhaps even scarier than the one before. She'd watched as the doctors took blood samples and rushed them off to be analysed. Megan had a CT scan which came back normal and although most of those horrific things she'd thought of now seemed to be disproven, Kate was still worried.

She jumped when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She knew cell phones weren't allowed in the ER but right now, at this moment, Kate didn't care much for the rules. "Talk to me, Curtis," she said when she answered.

"How's Megan?" was the first thing he asked.

"Still unconscious but stable. They did some tests and most of them came back clear. I'm waiting for her blood works. Did you call Lacey?"

"Her dad picked up from school and they're on their way," Curtis answered.

Kate heaved a sigh. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation with Todd but she knew she didn't have a choice. This was about Megan and not about the relationship she'd had with Todd. She chewed the inside of her cheek and looked back at Megan. She looked strangely peaceful, Kate thought. It was as if all the worries and stress had fallen away from the older woman.

"Did you do the autopsy?" Kate asked. She had to take her mind of what was happening here and she only knew one way. Work.

"The bullet lodged itself into the back of his skull. Strange, considerin' it was a close contact shot. It's a little damaged but I'm runnin' it through ballistics right now. Nothin' yet," Curtis replied. "Ethan found some blood on the victims clothing though. It doesn't look like it came from the gunshot wound."

Kate frowned. "Secondary transfer? Maybe the killer was injured too?"

"He's testing it now. There ain't much but it might be enough for DNA."

"Run whatever tests you need. How are they getting on with actually finding out who killed him?"

"I haven't seen Adam and Tommy yet but Tommy called to ask about Megan."

"I bet he did." Kate's eyes snapped back at Megan. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Megan and Tommy Sullivan had some kind of history. Kate knew enough about Megan's life to speculate that it probably wasn't a very nice history either. She'd seen the way Megan looked at Tommy, with anger in her eyes. Megan wasn't much of a people person and she was blunt at the best of times but her reaction to Tommy Sullivan had been off the scale. "If he calls again, just tell him she's doing allright."

She hung up and at that same time the curtain was pulled aside. The attending that'd been looking after Megan since she arrived came back in, clutching a clipboard with some paperwork. His name was Doctor Ecklestone. He looked at Kate and they had a silent understanding that she would just listen without challenging him too much. Kate smiled to herself, knowing that if the roles were reversed Megan would have hunted down every available doctor in this hospital by now.

"Any change?" he asked as he walked up to the bed and double checked the IV's and heart monitor.

Kate shook her head. "Nothing." He nodded and Kate noticed how he fumbled with his clipboard containing the results of Megan's blood tests. A sense of irritation welled up in her. He seemed uncomfortable, as if he wasn't sure about how to deliver the news. "Look, whatever it is you've gotta say, just say it. We're both doctors here and if there's something wrong with Megan then I want to know."

He studied her face for a couple of seconds and then took a deep breath. "You mentioned you could smell alcohol on her breath when you found her."

Kate nodded. "Her daughter has type 1 diabetes. It was only diagnosed late last year and I just wondered…. When I saw Megan this morning, the first thing that came to mind was diabetic ketoacidosis."

Doctor Ecklestone seemed to hesitate. "We tested Megan for diabetes after you mentioned her daughter was diagnosed but the test came back negative. This also rules out diabetic ketoacidosis. What we did find however…" There was a pause and Megan knew from her own experience that this was usually because he was trying to find the best words to explain to her what he knew. "… Megan's alcohol levels were through the roof."

Kate's eyes widened. "You mean she was drunk?!"

"When we tested her, the blood alcohol level was still 0.21."

"That can't be right," Kate answered and took a step forward. Doctor Ecklestone seemed to understand that she wanted to check the results for herself and handed her the clipboard. Kate's eyes flew across the pieces of paper and her heart sank as she saw the words printed, black on white. The tests didn't lie. Megan's alcohol levels were sky high. She lowered the chart and turned back to the bed.

"Megan is a doctor. She knows the dangers of consuming that much alcohol," Kate said softly. "Besides, I found her in her bed, face down, wearing a t-shirt. There is no evidence she came home in this state but I didn't see any bottles anywhere in the house."

"I know you're not going to like me saying this but is there a possibility that your friend has a drinking problem?"

"No."

Kate spun around when she heard Lacey's voice behind her. The teenage girl had appeared at Megan's bedside, dressed in her school uniform and with her backpack on her shoulder. Tears glistened in her eyes as she took her mother's eyes. Pleadingly she looked up at Kate. "Tell him that she doesn't, Kate. You know she doesn't."

"Lacey's right," Kate answered. "There is no way in this world that Megan struggles with alcohol." She looked up again when the curtain was pulled aside a second time. Todd appeared and for a moment they looked at each other. Kate waited for him to say something, anything, but he just weakly smiled before walking over to Lacey. He kissed his daughter on her head before letting his hand trail across Megan's cheek. Something jolted inside Kate's stomach and she realised with a shock that it was anger.

"A blood alcohol level over 0.20 can cause loss of consciousness. It can affect the body's heart rate and cause motor impairment. There is a high chance that when she comes round, Megan will not remember what happened. Black outs after this much alcohol are not uncommon," Doctor Ecklestone answered. His eyes found Kate and he jerked his head towards the curtain, signalling for her to follow him.

Once they stood outside the cubicle Kate's blue eyes snapped up to meet the doctor's brown. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Do you know how long it takes for alcohol to leave the body, Doctor Murphy?"

"Alcohol is metabolized at the rate of .015 of blood alcohol concentration every hour," Kate answered. In her head she was beginning to do the math and what she came up with wasn't good. "She has a long way ahead of her."

"Megan's BAC was still 0.21 when we tested her, which was an hour after you found her. It's safe to assume that the levels would have been higher originally, probably closer to lethal. It explains why she hasn't woken up yet."

"BAC can still rise sometime after the last drink was consumed," Kate said and Doctor Ecklestone nodded. "We're never going to know for sure how high it was." She heaved a sigh and glanced back at the curtain behind which Megan lay. "How much did she have?"

"Hard to say. It depends on what drinks she consumed. Does she drink at all?"

"The occasional glass of wine. Megan doesn't like the feeling of being drunk. In her time as an attending she saw too many results of drunk driving." Kate's blue eyes met those of the attending she was talking too now. Every doctor working in the ER at some point would be confronted with the devastating consequences of alcohol. "As I'm sure you have too. Trust me, Megan wouldn't do this to herself."

"I'm afraid the test results don't lie," the attending answered. "You might want to talk to her when she wakes up."

"I will," Kate said softly. "I will."

She watched the young doctor walk away and felt the burden of having to explain everything to Lacey and Todd grow heavier on her shoulders. She took a couple of deep breaths before pulling the curtain aside and stepping back into the cubicle. Just as she was about to speak, one of the nurses appeared and she looked apologetically from Kate to Todd and then Lacey.

"Sorry to interrupt but we'll be moving her to a room of her own now." She looked back at Kate. It seemed most people in the ER had realised they were dealing with another doctor. "Someone will come and find you once she's all set up." She removed the brakes on the bed and the three people inside the cubicle stepped aside as a second nurse came in and helped her colleague wheel Megan's bed away.

Kate looked at Lacey. The girl looked terrified and she watched how Todd's arm slipped protectively around his daughter's shoulders. A part of her felt like an intruder, like she shouldn't be here. This was a family thing. She wasn't family but she was Megan's friend. Sometimes Kate guessed she was the only friend Megan had.

"Do either of you know where Megan went last night?" Kate asked softly and Lacey's eyes snapped in her direction.

"You don't believe that she's an alcoholic, do you?"

In a flash Kate could see just how much Lacey was like her mother. She shook her head. "No, Lacey, I don't. I also don't believe that Megan would go out and get this drunk. She knows better. She warns people about the dangers of alcohol all the time. As a doctor she's seen more than her fair share of alcohol related traumas."

"She said she was going to meet someone she hadn't seen for a very long time," Lacey answered and stared down at the floor. Her shoulders dropped. "I spoke to her just before she went out. She sounded happy."

Kate's eyes narrowed. "Did she tell you who this person was?"

"What are you suggesting, Kate?" Todd asked. He sounded cold and distant. "You think someone did this to Megan?"

Kate made a helpless hand gesture. "I don't know, Todd. I don't know what to think. But the Megan I know wouldn't go out and do this to herself."

His eyes met hers. "Maybe you don't know her as well as you think."

"Or maybe _you_ just never knew her at all."

It had come out so sharply that Kate even surprised herself. When she caught the puzzled look Todd gave her she quickly composed herself. "I'll go and have another word with the doctors." She turned around, pushed the curtain aside and stepped out of the cubicle. She walked across to the ER, to the only window that she could get to, and rested her head against the surprisingly cold glass. She felt like she was suddenly losing grip and she had no idea how she could get herself to hold on.

~()~

Warm golden sunlight poured in through the hospital room window. Megan blinked once, twice. Slowly the room regained its shape. Her brain was scrambled and it took her a little while to process what her senses were picking up. Bleak walls, hospital standard issue sheets and the distinct smell of disinfectant. As she tried to move she became aware of the pain. Everything hurt. Her throat burned raw and her muscles ached with sheer exhaustion. The light hurt her eyes and the headache throbbing at her temples felt like someone had drilled into her skull.

"What the hell happened?"

"Megan?"

Suddenly they were all there at her bedside. Blurred faces, voices she struggled to recognise. The room started spinning and her eyes fluttered shut again. The darkness was a far more comfortable place to be right now.

"Megan?" Someone touched her face. A soft, warm hand. "Megan, can you hear me?"

"No need to shout," Megan groaned. "I can hear you just fine." A small pause followed and a vague hint of a smile tugged at Megan's lips, as if she knew the person at her bedside was waiting for her to recognise their voice. "Kate."

Kate smiled. It had been a little over two hours since Megan had been transferred from the ER to her own room. "Welcome back."

"Where have I been?"

Lacey hesitantly approached her mother's bed and leant in, reaching for the hand that didn't have the IV in it. "Mom?"

"Lacey?" Megan whispered and her eyes opened again. She immediately flinched against the brightness of the room but managed to turn her head and look at her daughter. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at school?"

Kate turned to look at Todd. She could tell he was about to answer. She placed a hand against his shoulder and pushed him back. "The doctors said this could happen. She doesn't remember how she got here or why. Give her some time. She's probably afraid and confused. The last thing she needs is you making accusations." Piercing blue eyes met his. This was a man she had once had feelings for but the longer she looked at him, the more she realised that they really were gone. "She needs time, Todd."

She turned away from him and walked over to Lacey, briefly putting her hand on the girl's shoulders before letting it drop down to Megan's arm. There were no words to describe the relief she felt now that Megan was awake. Although her voice was weak and raspy, she'd regained her normal colour. The soft beeping of the monitor was the only sound in the room for several minutes as everyone just stood there, remembering how close they had been to losing everything.

"Kate?" Megan whispered, cutting through the silence. Her green eyes found Megan's blue and Kate felt her heart break when she saw the confusion and despair. She had never seen Megan scared before, until this very moment. "What happened?"

"We're trying to find that out," Kate answered and her eyes darted to Todd in warning. He wasn't to tell Megan what the reason was she ended up here. "The doctors will be glad you woke up though." She leant over the bed and pressed the alarm button. Somewhere on the other side of the ward a light went on. Kate looked back at Megan. Their gazes locked and Kate was suddenly transported back in time, to the events from a year and a half earlier where it had been her lying in a hospital bed and Megan had been the one sitting at her side.

Megan had done everything she could to safe her life and when she opened her eyes to see Megan standing next to her, Kate knew their friendship had taken another turn. She smiled and rubbed Megan's arm. "It's good to see you, Megan."

A nurse poked her head around the door and everyone looked up. "She's awake?"

"Yeah," Lacey answered with a beaming smile. "She's going to be ok now, right?"

"I'll get one of the doctors," the nurse answered and she disappeared again.

Kate's phone vibrated in her pocket and she dug it out. Curtis' name flashed across the screen and she smiled at Megan before quickly leaving the room. She looked back in through the window. Lacey climbed on her mother's bed but Todd still kept his distance. She heaved a sigh and answered. "What is it, Curtis?"

"Any news?"

"Megan just woke up."

"Say what?"

Kate smiled. "Megan just woke up."

The pitch of Curtis' voice shifted when he spoke again. "You may wanna keep that quiet for a little while longer."

"Why?" Kate asked and a strange feeling settled in her chest. She stared through the window into Megan's room. She caught Megan looking back at her and her stomach tightened into a knot before she averted her eyes. The sudden rush of blood to her cheeks made her turn a slight shade of scarlet and she mentally chastised herself. "Curtis, what's going on?"

"Remember the blood Ethan found on the victim's clothing?" Curtis asked. In the background Kate could hear people talking. Curtis had to still be at the lab. "The blood you asked us to test?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"We got a match on the DNA."

The back of Kate's mouth became dry and she turned away from the window. "So…"

"Kate, the DNA belongs to Megan."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: **In this chapter you'll see a very protective side of Kate, something we have only seen a handful of times on the show. I'd like to think she is very much aware of the fact that Megan doesn't have many people in her life, especially now that Peter's gone, and she wants to be there for her. Enjoy!

* * *

**III**

Kate practically ran into the lab, her eyes darting around the room as she looked for Curtis. She found him on the other side of the room, hunched over the microscope. He looked up when he heard her footsteps and when he saw the confused, almost frightened, look in her eyes, he quickly gave her the paperwork with the matching DNA results.

"Who else has seen this?" Kate wanted to know as she grabbed the results.

"Just me and Ethan."

"Good." Kate folded the paper and slipped it into her handbag, causing Curtis to arch an eyebrow. "Nobody else needs to know for now."

"You do realise that they're goin' to find out sooner or later? We can't keep this from them."

Kate's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Do you know what these results could mean for Megan? Her blood was found on a man who was shot in the head. Adam and Tommy have arrested people for less!"

"There must be some kind of explanation for this," Ethan said as he walked into the lab.

"If you have anything other than the one that accuses Megan of murder, let's hear it." Kate looked at the young doctor and his face fell. "If you don't, then just shut up."

"What are we going to do?" Ethan wanted to know.

"Let's go back to the body," Kate said and before either of the two men had a chance to respond, she'd already walked out of the office, picked up a lab coat and reached autopsy. Curtis and Ethan rushed after her and by the time they caught up with her she had opened one of the coolers and pulled the slab with Jonathan McEldery body on it towards her. Curtis had done a nice job on closing the Y-incision and Kate ran a gloved index finger across the stitches.

"What did you find?" she asked without looking up. She'd heard Ethan and Curtis behind her. "Anything abnormal?"

"Apart from the bullet that blew his brains apart?" Curtis asked and Kate's head whipped around, blue eyes blazing. Curtis seemed slightly taken aback by the fierceness of her reaction and beside him Ethan seemed downright uncomfortable. Curtis took a deep breath and began reciting his findings. "Internal organs were all normal. Stomach content is bein' analysed. He had a meal not long he died. I could smell the ethanol so I did a test. He consumed alcohol with his food, maybe a glass of wine or two."

"He'd been drinking?" Kate asked. "You sure about that?"

Curtis' eyes narrowed. "Still waitin' on toxicology but I'm pretty sure."

"I'm going to ask the hospital to send Megan's blood samples over to our lab. Our equipment is better than theirs," Megan said and let her fingers journey across the bullet wound on the victim's forehead. "Any news on the bullet?"

"Ballistics confirmed it's a 9 millimetre. It matches a Beretta 92," Ethan answered. The nervousness could be heard in the trembling of his voice.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Did Adam and Tommy find anything in his background check?"

"Actually, we did," spoke a familiar voice from the open door and Kate spun around. Detectives Tommy Sullivan and Adam Lucas had appeared in the autopsy room. The older detective's eyes immediately found Kate's. "How's Megan?"

"Still unconscious," Kate lied. She could tell Curtis was eager to say otherwise but a single glare was enough to silence him, at least for now. "The doctors think she may wake up in the next few hours. Todd and Lacey are with her so I came here. There isn't anything else we can do anyway." She pushed her hands into the pocket of her lab coat and straightened her spine. "So, what do we know about this guy?"

"Jonathan McEldery," Tommy said as he slowly walked into the autopsy room. Kate never took her eyes off him and with every step he took towards her she became more and more aware of the evidence she was hiding from him. "Seventy-one years old, born in Philly but moved away years ago. Didn't reappear until last week. We're trying to figure out where he was in the meanwhile. Trail leads to Sante Fe."

"That's a long way away from Philadelphia," Kate said through gritted teeth. "What made him come back?"

"We did some digging on his time here," Adam began. "Turns out he used to run an accountant business years ago. The whole thing went bust."

Kate never made eye contact. "Do we know why?"

"He was accused of stealing people's live savings. Dozens of customers lost everything because of this guy," Adam said. There was a hint of accusation in his voice. "When we looked a little further we found out that he didn't run this business on his own. In fact he ran it with one his best friend but Jonathan McEldery here was the only one to be questioned by police."

"Why didn't they question his partner?" Ethan piped up.

"Because his partner killed himself."

A cold shiver crept down Kate's spine and she grabbed a firmer hold of the slab. Her eyes were fixed on Jonathan McEldery face as the words slowly sank in. The unnerving feeling in her stomach only grew stronger and part of her just wanted to turn around and walk away, pretending she hadn't heard the things she just found out. She took in a sharp breath, drawing Tommy's attention.

"Doctor Murphy, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kate lied and forced herself to look up. "Do we know who his partner was?"

"That's the reason I asked about Megan," Tommy answered and he shook his head as his gaze was drawn to the dead man's lifeless body. His eyes lingered on the bullet wound between his eyes. "His partner was Jeffrey Hunt, Megan's father."

Kate closed the cooler door with a loud bang, causing everyone to jump. Without saying a word she walked out of the autopsy room and back into the lab. She picked up her handbag before going to her own office. The sound of the door slamming behind her startled everyone and Tommy, Adam, Ethan and Curtis looked at each other in surprise. Tommy shook his head.

"What's up with her?!"

"I think she's shook up because of what happened to Doctor Hunt," Ethan suggested. "Doctor Murphy and Doctor Hunt are friends."

"Friends?" Tommy asked and he pointed in the direction Kate had disappeared in. He frowned in question. "_That_, my dear doctors, is not the reaction of a friend."

In her office Kate cradled her head in her hands, her elbows resting on her desk. She suddenly had a pounding headache and the thoughts and images flashing through her brain were almost driving her insane. Her heart pounded in her throat and she could feel the blood rushing in her ears. When her eyes snapped open she could still see Megan's grey face, lying on her stomach on the bed. She couldn't remember ever having felt that scared, if only for a split second before the moment she felt Megan's heartbeat against her fingertips.

The dead guy in the cooler was Jonathan McEldery, an old friend of Megan's father who was accused of stealing money. Megan's father Jeffrey had been his partner but when the business went bust Jeffrey killed himself, traumatising Megan for the rest of her life. Why did he come back to Philadelphia and how did he find Megan, or how did she find him? Could they have met up? Could Megan have done what the evidence suggested she did?

Kate reached into her handbag and pulled out the test results. It was unmistakable. The DNA match was 99.9%. The blood found on the body belonged to Megan. With a sigh Kate put the paperwork down in front of her and rested her head against the back of her chair. She didn't know what to do now. She had to tell Tommy and Adam about the positive match. Sooner or later they'd find out and she couldn't withhold evidence.

She sat up with a jolt and reached for her phone, hitting the speed dial button for Curtis' cell phone. She watched him answer it through the window and he turned around in surprise when he realised it was Kate. "I need you to come in here and I need you to make it look like everything's fine."

Two minutes later Curtis walked into her office. "What's goin' on?"

"I want you to give these results to Tommy and Adam but not until I've spoken to Megan," Kate said. She searched his face. "Curtis, everything suggests Megan is somehow involved in this man's death but I know for a fact that, even if she wanted to, she won't be able to tell us anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Megan's blood alcohol level was 0.21," Kate said and Curtis' eyes widened. "When she woke up she had no idea where she was or how she ended up in the hospital. As far as I can tell, she hasn't got any memory of the last twenty-four hours, maybe more."

Curtis slowly nodded. "Probably because alcohol interferes with the NMDA receptions in the brain that transmit glutamate which carries the signals between neurons." He shook his head. "I had no idea how bad this was."

Kate leant back in her chair and folded her hands behind her head. "The neurons will manufacture steroids that stop memory formation. Like I said, even if she wanted to, there is a very high chance Megan won't remember anything, which isn't going to help in her defence." She heaved a sigh. "Say what you like about Megan Hunt but she doesn't have it in her to kill somebody."

"You sure about that?" Curtis asked and Kate realised with a shock that he was serious. "I've seen the way she can get with people. If you'd seen the way she shouted at Todd when she found out you and him…"

"Megan hurts people with words, Curtis. Most of the time she isn't even doing it deliberately." Kate knew this for a fact, having been on the receiving end of Megan's ice cold words more than once. "She isn't the type to take a gun and shoot someone in the head."

"Even when that person could be in some way responsible for her father's suicide?" Curtis asked and his dark eyes found Kate. "Because there are times where I think Megan will do anything to get the answers she wants."

"Nobody's going to answer when they're dead," Kate countered. "Give these to Adam and Tommy but wait for me to leave. I want to get to Megan before they do. See if she remembers anything." She shook her head. "Tell Ethan to have another look at those blood stains. Where on his clothes were they?"

"Around his collar and some on his shoulder," Curtis answered. "Small drops, as if the drops fell from a small cut or somethin'."

"Which would mean Megan's got an injury somewhere," Kate suggested and stood up. A fiery look appeared in her eyes as she circled her desk and started for the door, leaving Curtis with the test results in his hands. "Like a Beretta bite."

"Where are you going?" Curtis called after her.

"To see Megan," Kate replied as she headed for the elevator. "And find answers."

~()~

Megan felt like hell. She could only remember feeling this bad at one other time in her life and that was after she woke up from surgery after the car accident six years ago. Her body hurt from head to toe and she kept trying to remember what had brought her here but the frustration of her memory remaining blank was starting to get to her. She couldn't remember what she'd had for breakfast yesterday or what she had done. She tried but nothing came to her. She got so angry that the tears of frustration burnt behind her eyes but she wiped them away when she realised Lacey was standing in the doorway of her room.

"Are you ok, mom?" Lacey asked as she walked over to the bed.

"You were gone when I woke up,"

"Dad and I went to get a soda," Lacey answered and showed her mother the plastic diet coke bottle. "He's on the phone to his office now." She cocked her head. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know," Megan answered in all honesty. "I wish I knew."

The soft rasping sounds of knuckles against wood made her look up and she smiled when she saw Kate leaning against the doorframe. The blonde doctor smiled when she realised Megan was awake and she tentatively walked into the room, very much aware of the fact that Lacey was there and looking at her. She perched herself on the end of Megan's bed, close to her feet, and folded her hands in her lap.

"Where did you go?" Megan wanted to know. She'd regained some of her voice and Kate smiled.

"The office. There were a few things I needed to take care off but I'm here now."

"Todd said you found me," Megan whispered. "You're the one who called 911."

Kate nodded. "I did."

"Thank you," Megan smiled and reached out her hand to touch Kate's. When their fingers found each other Kate felt something rise up in her stomach. An unexpectedly warm feeling that seemed to spread with every millisecond Megan's fingers touched her own. She felt the blush spread across her cheeks and shyly averted her eyes.

"Lacey, would you mind if I talked to your mom alone for a minute?" Kate asked carefully.

"Sure," Lacey answered and took her cell phone out of her pocket. "I'll just let my friends know you're allright, mom. They've all been asking about you."

"Don't I pick a wonderful way of being the most talked about girl in school," Megan smirked and watched her daughter walk out of the room. Then her green eyes found Kate's and she shook her head. "I know that look, Kate. I know you know what happened to me and I'll be damned if I just let you sit there without telling me. They've pumped my stomach so whatever it is, it must be bad."

"Alcohol poisoning," Kate said softly and watched how Megan's eyes widened in shock and fear. "You tested 0.21 when you got here. They pumped your stomach to try and get rid of as much as they could but there wasn't a lot left. The rest is being washed out with medication."

"Alcohol poisoning?" Megan breathed. "How…."

Kate shook her head. "Do you remember anything?"

"No."

"You don't remember drinking?"

"I don't even remember getting out of bed yesterday morning!"

Megan raised both her hands and Kate's eyes were drawn to them. Her stomach dropped when she spotted the obvious cut on Megan's right hand. She leaned forward and took Megan's hand into her own, turned it over and inspected the injury more closely. It was the type of injury often seen when someone who was untrained fired a gun. When she looked back up there was fear in her eyes and she clutched Megan's hand almost in desperation. "You don't remember how you got this either?"

"Kate, what's going on?" Megan asked softly as she pulled her hand free. Tears glistened in her eyes. "I… I don't remember anything…"

"Does the name Jonathan McEldery mean anything to you?" Kate asked carefully and watched how something happened in Megan's eyes. She remembered. The name triggered a memory. She could see how her green eyes widened and then slowly the red haired doctor nodded.

"He's an old family friend. He used to work with my father," Megan answered. She turned to the glass window that separated her room from the hallway and watched Lacey talk to her friend on the phone. "Why?"

"He was killed late last night," Kate explained and Megan's eyes snapped back at her. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"Jonathan is dead?"

Kate slowly nodded. "He was shot."

Megan fell back into the pillows on her bed. Her mind was blank. There was nothing, not even the smallest hint of a memory. It was as if she'd fallen into a large black hole and kept on falling, without a chance of ever getting out. The world seemed to be closing in on her and the panic welled up inside of her. Her hands began to shake but before she had a chance to pull them towards her Kate grabbed them. Blue eyes connected with green.

"Look at me," Kate demanded and Megan slowly looked up. "Megan, look at me!"

"I don't remember," Megan whispered and a lonely tear suddenly trickled down her cheek. She shook her head and her eyes nervously darted around the room. "It's so scary… I mean… I can't…"

"I know," Kate said comfortingly and moved up further along the bed until she almost sat next to Megan. The close proximity of the other woman sent her heart racing and she willed herself to stay calm but it was futile. The endless rush of emotions just took over and Kate was lost. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as the words rolled off her tongue. "Megan, your blood was found on Jonathan McEldery's body."

"WHAT?!"

"Ethan found some blood drops on his clothing. They didn't appear to be from the shooting so he ran a DNA test on them," Kate whispered and took Megan's hands into her own. "The DNA is yours, Megan. You have an injury on your hand consistent with the recent firing of a gun and your blood was found on the body." Blue eyes found green. "I'm doing everything I can but Tommy and Adam are going to find out and…"

"Megan?!"

The sound of Tommy's voice alerted both women and Kate's head whipped around. Tommy and Adam had appeared in the doorway. Todd stood behind them, one arm protectively draped over Lacey's shoulders. When he met Kate's gaze he seemed to understand and pulled Lacey away. She resisted but her father used both his hands and eventually she gave in.

Tommy looked at Kate holding Megan's hands. "Kate, you know you're not supposed to be here."

"She deserves a chance," Kate said venomously and shifted across the bed in such a position that she became a barrier between the two detectives and Megan. "I don't think you're going to give her one."

"Curtis showed us the DNA test results," Adam said slowly as he stepped into the room. He had removed his cuffs from his belt. It seemed that he and Tommy had agreed that he would be the detective making the arrest. "DNA doesn't lie, we all know that."

"She's in no state to answer any of your questions. She doesn't remember anything," Kate argued.

"Kate?" Megan whispered softly and put her hand on the small of the blonde's back. She appreciated what Kate was trying to do but she knew there was no other way out. She couldn't remember what had happened but the evidence was there. She should feel like she wanted to fight but she was tired and unfocused and she didn't want Kate to do something she'd regret in the future. "Maybe you should go."

"No," Kate said sharply and looked at Megan. What struck her was the deflated expression on her face. Dark rings had started to appear under Megan's eyes and she looked tired and pale. Her eyes snapped up to the heart monitor but everything seemed normal. She grabbed a tighter hold of Megan's hand. "I'm not leaving you."

"Don't make this any harder than it needs to be," Tommy said from the open door. He watched the interaction between the two women and Kate's defensiveness hit a nerve. "You think we're enjoying this?"

"I don't see any regret on your face, no," Kate sneered and gave Tommy a look that almost froze him to his very core. "So maybe you should just back off!"

Adam walked around the other side of the bed and took Megan's left hand. She didn't resist as he placed one of the cuffs around her wrist and attached the other one to the bed. He heaved a sigh as he looked up and into the red haired doctor's eyes. She met his gaze and he was struck by the emptiness of her eyes. He didn't recognise this side of Megan Hunt. She looked tired and defeated. The fire that normally flickered in those green orbs was gone.

"Megan Hunt, I'm arresting you on suspicion of murdering Jonathan McEldery. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say or do may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. If you decide to answer any questions now, without an attorney, you will still have the right to stop answering questions at any time until you talk to an attorney. Knowing and understanding these rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?"

"No," Kate answered before Megan had a chance. "Don't say a word, Megan. I'm going to call my lawyer."

"Kate?" Megan whispered and the blonde turned around. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I care about you," Kate said softly. "And because I know you didn't do this, Megan."

"Are you sure about that?" Megan breathed. "The evidence is there and I don't remember anything." She held Kate's gaze. "For all I know, I did do it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: **You guys are seriously awesome. Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and follows. It means a lot. My parents are in town at the moment so I am not getting as much time as usual to write but I'm doing the best I can. Enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**IV**

The sound of the handcuffs scraping along the metal of her bed reminded her that she couldn't move. Megan's eyes darted to the door of her room. Tommy had placed a uniformed female police officer outside and the young woman was under strict orders only to remove Megan's cuffs if she needed to go to the toilet. At least she was still able to roll on to her side, her favourite position to sleep in, but it wasn't exactly comfortable.

As she lay there, her eyes fixed on a yellow stain on the ceiling, she tried to fit the pieces together of what happened. She'd been arrested on suspicion of murder. Jonathan McEldery, her father's old partner, was dead and her blood had been found on his body. Tommy had forced Kate to check Megan's hands for GSR. Kate had done the test but refused to share the results with Megan or the detectives until she'd been to the lab. That was over an hour ago. Tommy had tried to apologise but Megan ignored him and eventually he left.

She felt like hell. The doctors said that her body was still processing the alcohol and after having her stomach pumped and being medicated, it felt as if she'd been on a rollercoaster one too many times. They'd given her something to stop the nausea and the headache but her body ached in every imaginable place. It resembled the type of pain she'd felt after the car accident. Her mind kept going back to that day, the moment that changed her life. She thought her life was over when they told her she'd never work as a brain surgeon again. Her hands no longer functioned the way they were supposed to, the minor nerve damage sustained in the accident preventing her from operating.

Megan sighed. She didn't know what happened. The fear of not knowing, not understanding, how she had ended up here was eating at her. All she knew was what Kate told her. She'd suffered alcohol poisoning and the only reason she hadn't ended up in an even worse state was because Kate found her. But Jonathan McEldery was still dead and evidence suggested she'd killed him. But she didn't remember. She didn't remember anything. Not getting up that morning, or having breakfast. She didn't even remember leaving her house or meeting Jonathan.

There was a soft knock on the door and Megan looked up. A man she didn't know, dressed in a five hundred dollar suit and a designer briefcase, stood in the doorway. He had short brown hair, with strands of grey appearing at his temples, and surprisingly cold, blue eyes. His face showed the lines of a man who had fought his fair share of battles though Megan assumed that, judging from his appearance, his fights had been within a courtroom. This had to be her lawyer.

"Megan Hunt?" he asked and she nodded. "I'm Thomas Logan. Kate called me. I'm your attorney."

"Are you sure you want this case?" Megan asked with a sigh. A lawyer standing at her bedside told her that this was very much real. This was happening, even if she couldn't grasp it. She was trying to understand but she was too tired and her brain just wouldn't let her. "What did Kate tell you?"

"That you were arrested on suspicion of murder because your blood was found on the victim's clothes," Thomas answered and pulled up a chair alongside Megan's bed. "She also mentioned the injury on your hand consistent with the recent firing of a gun." His gaze dropped to Megan's hand and he saw the obvious Beretta bite. If it shocked him, he didn't show it. His face remained miraculously emotionless. "But most of all Kate stressed that you don't remember anything."

Megan rolled her eyes. "I'm not so sure how good a defence that's going to be."

"What's more important now is that we figure out what we're going to do about your arraignment," Thomas said. "It's scheduled to be within the next three days. The prosecution will argue that you're fit enough to appear in a courtroom by the end of the week but I'd like to see if we can postpone it a little while longer."

"And leave me shackled to this bed in the mean time?" Megan countered, yanking at the handcuffs to stress her point. "I don't think so."

"The other option is prison, Megan."

"At least the food will be better." She heaved a sigh. "No doctor is going to lie about my condition. I know that. I'm one of them. I wouldn't lie if they put me in that position."

The first signs of frustration began to show on Thomas' face. When Kate said that Megan would prove to be a handful he hadn't known exactly how right she was. "Do you have any idea how serious this is?"

"Yes," Megan answered and her piercing green eyes met her lawyer's blue. "I do. But I also know that unless we find out what really happened, they're going to lock me up anyway. So instead of sitting here talking about how you can pervert justice, maybe we should focus on the part where I can actually remember what the hell happened?"

Thomas sighed. "There's one thing you need to know. Kate called me on my way up here. Your hands tested positive for GSR." He studied Megan's face for any kind of reaction. She seemed puzzled and confused as the message sank in. "You fired a gun, Megan."

Megan fell back into the pillows of her bed and released the breath she didn't even realise she'd been holding. For hours now she'd been trying to remember even the smallest detail but nothing came. She didn't know what was more frightening; the suggestion that she had killed someone or the fact that she couldn't remember if she had. She swallowed hard and stared down at her hands. The handcuff around her wrist felt like a foreign object. It didn't belong there. She didn't belong here.

"The detectives will have you transferred to a holding cell awaiting arraignment as soon as you're discharged," Thomas said slowly. "If there's anything I can do, I'll do it but I have to be honest, Megan, this isn't looking good."

She shook her head. "I didn't do it."

Thomas looked up. It was the first time since all of this began that Megan finally insisted that she was innocent. His eyes swept over her face. Something had changed. She turned to look at him and her green eyes were blazing now. "I don't know what happened or how I ended up here. I can't explain why there's GSR on my hands or how my blood ended up on that guy's body but I _know _I didn't do this."

"Kate said the same thing," Thomas smiled. "You're lucky to have a friend like her, you know. Other people would have looked at this and probably thought it wasn't worth putting up a fight."

Megan felt her cheeks flush red and averted her eyes. Kate was probably her only friend in the whole wide world and although they didn't see eye to eye most of the time, Megan knew that if she ever needed anything, Kate would be there for her. Her stomach did an unexpected double flip when she remembered Kate sitting on her bed, sneering at Tommy and Adam to leave her alone. Ever since Tommy had transferred to Philadelphia, Kate had it in for him. Megan didn't know why. Some people were just easier to hate than others.

A knock on the door made both of them look up and Megan recognised the attending who'd been looking after her since she woke up. Her smile was met with just an insecure nod from the young man and she noticed how his eyes flashed to the cuffs around her wrist. "How are you feeling, Doctor Hunt?"

"Like I've been hit by a truck," Megan answered with a hint of humour in her voice. She raised her wrist to show off the cuffs. "Though these don't do anything to make me feel better."

"I just wanted to let you know that we're keeping you overnight for observation but tomorrow morning you'll be released into the care of the authorities."

"Great." Megan rolled her eyes. "Can't wait."

Thomas took a deep breath. "If they're discharging you then there's nothing I can do, Megan. Unless you want me to fight this."

She shook her head. "No one's going to listen to a woman who allegedly drank herself into a stupor to avoid a murder charge. If they let me out of here I stand a better chance of finding out what the hell happened."

Thomas stood up. "I'll be here first thing tomorrow morning when they're letting you go."

Megan grinned as she watched the lawyer walk to the door. She raised her arm, still shackled to the bed. "I'll be here."

Once he was gone she leant back and raised her eyes to the ceiling. The darkness in her brain was frustrating. She couldn't remember anything. She wanted to remember, even if it was just the smallest thing that could tell her where she'd been and how she ended up here. She swallowed hard and suddenly she confronted by the loneliness and silence of her room. She was alone, in more ways than one, and she didn't know if anybody would be able to find her in this darkness.

~()~

Kate had arrived early after receiving a phone call from Thomas the previous night that Megan would be discharged from the hospital. They'd worked till the early hours to try and establish what had happened the night Jonathan McEldery was shot. Adam and Tommy had gone to Megan's apartment and confirmed Kate's earlier statement that there was no sign of any alcohol in the house. No empty bottles in the trash or the dumpsters outside – and the trash collectors hadn't been yet. Megan's bag and keys were in their usual spot, untouched. Nothing suggested she'd gotten drunk at home but if she'd done it elsewhere, then how did she get home? It would have been near enough impossible for her to drive her car.

A soft knock against the glass made Kate's head whip around and she frowned when she found Todd standing outside her office door. She beckoned him to come in and he walked over to her desk. His eyes found hers and he seemed concerned. "How's Megan?"

"All things considered, she's doing well," Kate answered. "I had an update from the hospital last night and she sounds coherent. She just doesn't remember anything. They're discharging her this morning."

"And I assume that she'll be transferred into custody?" Todd asked. Kate was instantly reminded that he was a lawyer too. He wasn't here out of concern about Megan. He was here because he knew what was going to happen next. "Who's representing her?"

"What, you're volunteering?" Kate snapped and rummaged through some paperwork. "His name is Thomas Logan. He's one of the best defence attorneys in the whole of Philly." She made a point of stressing this, to remind Todd that it had been her who'd sought legal representation for Megan, not him. She sank into her chair and rested her hand into her chin. "I'm sure you didn't come here to find out who's going to defend Megan, Todd. How can I help you?"

"I've had a word with my attorney and he thinks it would be best if Lacey comes back to live with me full time."

Kate's eyes widened. "You're going to try and get sole custody back?" She shook her head in disbelief. "You know, I thought I figured you out but that's disgusting, even for you!"

Todd looked back at her, not a hint of remorse on his face. "Megan is accused of murder, Kate!"

"And you should know better than to do this!" Kate interjected and stood up. She walked around her desk until she was just a couple of steps away from him. It was hard to believe that this was a man she had once dated. "If you do this, you're going to destroy her. Megan's going to need all the help and support she can get and you are stabbing her in the back!"

"What do you expect me to do? Let Lacey stay with her while all of this is going on?"

"No, I'm not saying that," Kate argued. "I'm saying that you shouldn't be abandoning Megan like this. She fought hard to get the relationship she has with Lacey and I for one don't believe she did this. You know her, you were married to her. You know she couldn't have done this." Her blue eyes darkened. "You were never happy with Megan being back in Lacey's life. Ever since the joint custody was agreed you've wanted nothing more than get rid of her. Now that Megan's in trouble you are leaving her to drown instead of giving her a helping hand." She placed her hands on her hips. "That's disgusting."

"Megan won't be having custody if she's convicted."

Kate's jaw dropped. "You actually believe she did this?"

"You don't?"

"No, I don't."

Todd's eyes narrowed and he searched Kate's face. "Since when are you on Team Megan?"

"Since I found out what a total asshole you are," Kate spat and her blue eyes were blazing. She resented him for doing this to Megan. Before, when they were together, she tried to stay out of it but now she didn't have a choice. Someone had to speak up for Megan. "You know, Megan was right about you after all."

"Right about what?"

"About you always trying to get in her way, giving her a hard time. You have done absolutely nothing to support her since she started rebuilding her relationship with Lacey and you've done nothing since all of this began either," Kate said. The venom laced her words. "I know you're her ex-husband but you could have done something to help her out."

"What do you want, Kate? A medal because you came to Megan's aide?" Todd cut her off and she raised her hands to the sky in despair. "Megan screwed up, the same way she always screws up. Why are you defending her?"

Kate's blue eyes found his. Anger was written across her face and in her stomach something roared. She couldn't remember ever being this protective of anything or anybody else before, not even her own brother. But Megan needed her help and she wasn't going to let her drown. "Because someone has to and it might as well be me."

Todd rolled his eyes. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you were in love with her," he scoffed.

Kate didn't answer. The words lingered between them, slowly fading out into the distance. She averted her eyes and turned around on her heel. Slowly she walked around her to her desk but didn't sit down. She kept her back turned on Todd and stared out of the tall office windows. The city of Philadelphia was covered in thick grey clouds today. Todd's words echoed around in her mind. _If I didn't know any better I'd think you were in love with her. _She couldn't turn around and allow him to see the sudden turmoil in her eyes. If she did then Todd would see that what he'd said was true.

"That's it, isn't it?"

She turned around when he spoke. "What is?" she snapped and folded her arms in front of her chest. "What do you want, Todd?"

"You're in love with her." Todd sounded aghast and Kate wasn't sure if what she saw in his eyes was shock or disgust. "You are actually in love with Megan."

"Don't be ridiculous," Kate countered and quickly composed herself. The stoic mask she was known to wear around the office slid back in place and a somewhat cold look filled her eyes. "Megan's my friend. You know just as well as I do that she doesn't have many people she can rely on." She set her jaw. "If you want to destroy her, don't expect me to stand by and watch."

Todd turned around and started for the door. Just as he was about to leave he turned around. "You do know it's never going to happen, don't you?"

"What?"

"You and Megan," he explained. "It's never going to happen."

Kate didn't answer but just watched him leave. Slowly she sank down into her chair and cradled her head in her hands. That same thought had crossed her mind countless of times. It never was going to happen. Because Megan was Megan and she wasn't in love with her. Ever since she'd known Megan, the redhead had only shown an interest in men. In fact, until very recently, Kate believed that her affection for women was a thing of the past. She'd fallen in love with a couple of girls while she was in medical school and even ended up in a long term relationship with one of them that lasted for three years but since then her feelings had sort of cooled down. Until she got sick and Megan sat at her bedside. Something had stirred inside of her and now there was no way around it. She couldn't deny it, even if she wanted to. She'd fallen in love with Megan and there was nothing she could do about it other than trying to move on with her life because sometimes some things weren't meant to be.

A knock on the door startled her and she looked up. Curtis walked in. "You got a minute?"

"Sure," she said and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "What's up?"

"Two things," he answered. "Both of them concern Doctor Hunt."

Kate's eyes narrowed. "Go on."

"I had a phone call from Detective Sullivan," Curtis said slowly. Kate didn't even question why Tommy hadn't called her. She knew he'd done it to avoid her. "They're getting ready to move Megan to a holding cell. The doctors have discharged her." He watched how Kate's face fell and she shook her head. "The other thing is Megan's voice mail on her cell phone."

"What about it?"

"They found a message from our victim."

Kate sat up with a jolt. "Jonathan McEldery called Megan?"

"The night he was killed," Curtis explained. "He asks her to meet him in a restaurant. Detective Sullivan didn't mention where it was but I'm sure that with a little persuasion he'll tell you." He gave Kate a knowing look. "Ethan's having another look at those blood stains."

"Have them extracted and test them for alcohol if they are adequate enough," Kate said and when Curtis gave her a questioning look she explained herself. "I know the test is expensive but I'm doing what I think is necessary to help Megan. Performing the test may help us find out what happened. The presence or absence of ethyl glucuronide in the blood will tell us more."

"You think the blood was put there?" Curtis asked.

"Right now I don't know what to think," Kate sighed and stood up. "Where are they taking Megan?"

"Curran-Fromhold Correctional."

"Do what you can with those tests. If you find anything, I'll be on my cell," Kate said as she made her way across her office and turned around in the door. Curtis still stood by her desk.

"Where are you goin'?"

Kate heaved a sigh as she buttoned up her coat. "I've gotta be with Megan."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:** I appreciate all your comments and reviews, folks. It means a lot. Let me know what you think. Also, how did we survive the last episode?! It was amazing!

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**V.**

Kate had to give it everything she had for the warden to let her in. She flashed her badge more than once, reminded him several times of who she was and even used the fact that she could call the mayor to have him let her in but in the end she resulted to good old fashioned flirting and a smile. She wasn't sure if it was going to be enough and deep down she knew why. It wasn't standard practice for a Chief Medical Examiner to visit a prisoner, even if that prisoner was one of their own. But she held her breath when the warden finally caved in and opened the door for her. She smiled one last time and stepped through the door before waiting for him to escort her further into the prison.

When she reached the hospital earlier that morning she found that Megan had already been transferred. She'd spoken to the attending who'd looked after her until she left and got the latest details on her situation. The latest blood test showed that all alcohol was gone. When she asked him if Megan had shown any signs of remembering what had happened, he just shook his head. She'd turned around and drove straight to the prison.

The sound of her high heels clicking against the concrete floor bounced off the walls. She'd been inside prisons before throughout her career but never like this. They reached another door and the warden reached into a box, took out a visitor's badge and looked Kate up and down. "Please remove any items that could set off the metal detector."

She removed her watch, her shoes and left her briefcase on the side to go through a smaller scanner and walked through it. It didn't beep. Maybe a minute later she got her briefcase, shoes and watch back and their journey carried on. The prison was a maze of corridors and Kate had no idea how much further they'd have to go before she could finally see Megan. They turned right at the end of the corridor and stood in an equally long, boring hallway. There were barred doors on either side. The warden walked up to one of them, typed in a code that was followed by a buzzing noise and the door opened.

Kate followed him and they reached a different part of the prison. This corridor led to the cell blocks. A heavy feeling settled in her chest with every step she took. "I thought Doctor Hunt was supposed to be kept in a simple holding cell until her arraignment?"

"Our holding cells are usually full right after the weekend," the warden answered and gave Kate a knowing look. "Drunks, hookers and the like. We thought it best if Doctor Hunt was kept separated from them."

"So you've put her with some of the criminals she's put away herself?" Kate interjected. "Half these inmates are here because of Megan!"

"We are keeping her away from the general population."

Kate didn't answer. The idea of Megan locked up in a cell was something she couldn't grasp. Her heart rate quickened when the warden swiped a key card and typed in another code to open the last door. When she followed him inside she shivered. There was a cold draft blowing through the cell block. This was the women's wing. Most of the cells were occupied. The women wore orange jumpsuits and most of them were lying on their beds reading, writing or playing cards. They looked up in curiosity as Kate walked by and she could feel their piercing stares.

""This is what you mean by keeping her away from the general population?" Kate hissed as she caught up with the warden.

"Doctor Hunt is in a cell at the end of the corridor. None of the other prisoners have access to her," he answered. As they walked up to the door they were approached by a female warden who eyed up Kate. It didn't take her long to recognise the badge dangling of her briefcase. She didn't smile. In fact, Kate was sure that the woman didn't even blink. She nervously looked over her shoulder to find most of the female inmates staring at her and quickly followed the two wardens through the next door. There were only a couple of cells here and only one was occupied.

"Megan!"

Kate rushed over to the cell. Megan lay on the bed, on her back, with her hands folded behind her head. The orange jumpsuit seemed to be about a size too big and fell around her slender frame. The colour clashed with her red hair. She was pale but not as pale like the last time Kate saw her. When Megan looked up she recognised some of the fire had returned to those green eyes and somewhere deep inside her, something happened. That simmering flame she always felt when she looked at Megan turned into a raging forest fire and she felt her cheeks turn a light shade of red.

"Kate!" Megan said in surprise and slipped off the bed. She walked across the cell and her hands covered Kate's as they touched the bars at the same time. Megan's hands were warm whereas Kate's were cold and both women seemed momentarily surprised by the feeling. "How did you get in here?"

"Politics may not be your thing but they work great for me," Kate answered and leaned in a little. "And threatening someone with the mayor always helps."

Megan smiled. "It's good to see you." She meant it, She meant it witj every fibre of her being.

"How are you holding up?" Kate wanted to know. "I came as soon as I found out they were going to transfer you. I went to the hospital first but you were already gone. I would have been here sooner otherwise."

"I'm OK," Megan said. "The food's ten times better than that crap they feed you at the hospital but I can't say the same for the company."

"Thomas is working on your arraignment. Apparently it's the first case on the docket tomorrow."

"So I get my fifteen minutes?" Megan arched an eyebrow and the hint of a smile flashed across her face.

Kate sighed. Seeing Megan behind bars was something she couldn't grasp. Everything about this seemed wrong. She knew the redhead was a handful and, besides struggling with authority, Megan certainly had a knack for breaking the rules but Kate had never ever expected to see the brilliant doctor standing on the other side of a prison door, separated by bars. Now that she looked more closely, Megan seemed tired and old beyond her years. The lack of sleep was imprinted on her face.

"We're doing everything we can to find out what happened," Kate said softly. Megan's hands were still covering hers and she couldn't deny that she liked the feeling. Although the circumstances were wrong, it still felt so right. Her blue eyes found Megan's green and once again she was mesmerized by them.

"From what I can gather, the press already caught my scent," Megan answered. "I overheard some of the women talk when they brought me in here."

"We'll find out the truth, Megan. I promise you."

Megan rolled her eyes. "The whole world thinks they know the truth, but they are wrong. In here…" She gestured around her cell and the rest of the prison block. "…there is no truth, only a whole lot of lies."

Kate let those words sink in. It made her realise just how desperate Megan was. She didn't know what to say.

Megan looked at Kate. Not too long ago she wouldn't even have considered her a friend but right now, in this moment, Kate was all she had. She remembered how scared she'd been when Kate got sick. Suddenly she had realised that she didn't want to be without her. She'd gotten used to seeing Kate through the glass at the office, day after day, watching her go by. It seemed natural to have Kate in her life and the mere thought that that could change had scared her more than anything. And now here she was, behind bars, separated from the world that she knew so well. But Kate was here with her. She wasn't as alone as she thought she was. She had Kate and she would do whatever she could, in whatever way, not to lose her. Because without Kate she would be alone and she'd be lost.

"How's Lacey?" Megan asked.

"She's staying with Todd until all of this blows over," Kate answered. She couldn't tell Megan what Todd had said this morning. The mere thought that Megan could lose her daughter all over again was heart breaking and she didn't want the little flicker of hope she'd seen in Megan's eyes to die out. "She's a little shaken up but she's very much like you; she's strong and she keeps going." Her eyes connected with Megan's. "She's a strong girl, Megan. She got that from you."

"Yeah, we both know she didn't get it from Todd."

"How are _you_ feeling?" Kate asked softly.

Megan averted her eyes, the first time she broke eye contact since Kate arrived. "It's like this huge hole has been punched into my chest."

The raw honesty surprised Kate. She'd expected Megan to maintain the tough façade but to see the cracks in the stoic mask made her feel guilty. She cocked her head so she could just about see Kate's eyes. "We'll find our way out of this, Megan. I am not going to leave you here, you hear me? Tomorrow, at your arraignment, they'll most likely set bail and if they do, I swear I'm going to get you out of here."

She wanted to tell Megan about the voice mail message but case related things could only be discussed with a lawyer as long as she was locked up. She had so many questions that she wanted to see answered but Megan couldn't help her. She had to find some other way of doing it. She softly squeezed Megan's hand and the redhead looked up. Their eyes found each other and she weakly smiled.

"I know you're doing everything you can," she said. "Will you be there in court tomorrow?"

"I'll be there," Kate vowed. She glanced at her watch. "I have to go. Thomas will be here in an hour to discuss the case with you. There are some new developments but I am not allowed to talk about them with you, only your attorney can do that." She heaved a sigh. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Megan watched as Kate walked away. Suddenly the bars under her hands were cold. Gone were Kate's soft fingers. Tears glistened in her eyes as she stared at Kate's back. Slowly she watched the blonde doctor disappear into the distance and Megan felt the aching of her heart. She had only recently figured out that the longing feeling she experienced whenever she looked at Kate was love. It wasn't the kind of love she had once felt for Todd, or even Tommy. It was different. Slow burning, like a quiet little voice whispering in the back of her mind. Whenever Kate walked past her window her heart would flutter. The type were her hands would suddenly become clammy and she'd almost drop her scalpel. It was the kind of love where she was almost afraid to say something, to lose that precious feeling, because how was Kate ever going to fall in love with her too? But some people you just couldn't help but love and Kate Murphy was one of those people.

Megan turned around and walked back her simple bed. As she climbed back onto the mattress she felt one of the springs poke into her back and she shifted in an attempt to get more comfortable. She folded her hands back behind her head and stared up at the grey ceiling of her cell in the hope that she could remember anything but until now her mind had remained blank. Everything was gone.

~()~

The courtroom was full of people. The press had crammed itself into some of the seats in the back but their numbers were small compared to the amount of vans and presenters outside. Every news station in Philly had sent at least one crew. Two or three national channels were here too. Kate had recognised Fox and CNN on her way into the court house. Now that she sat in the court room, right behind where Megan would sit as soon as they brought her in, she felt uneasy. The eyes of the country were on them and she would do everything in her power to see to it that Megan was released on bail.

Curtis and Ethan were back at the lab, still working on Jonathan McEldery's body and the blood stains they'd found. She promised to keep them updated. Next to her sat Lacey, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She wasn't in her school uniform and minutes earlier she'd told Kate that her dad let her have the day off. Todd sat at Lacey's other side. His face was emotionless and throughout their waiting period Kate noticed he was on his Blackberry doing business. He couldn't even be bothered to pretend he cared.

The whispering around them grew louder as the door to the far right of the court room opened and Megan appeared, flanked by two court officers. She wore a simple pair of black pants and matching jacket and a bright red blouse. As she walked towards them Kate noticed that her hands were still cuffed together. She smiled when Megan's eyes found hers and to her joy Megan smiled back. She was led to the table and sat down next to her attorney.

"What happens now?" Lacey asked softly.

"The judge will determine if your mom will be released on bail," Kate replied. "If bail is set then I'll see to it that it gets paid and she'll be out of prison." She focused on the empty bench where the judge normally sat. "Let's keep our fingers crossed."

"Docket ending 2376, the people versus Megan Hunt. One count of murder in the first degree," a man read. "All rise."

Everybody in the court room stood up and the door behind the bench opened. The judge walked into the court room. It was a man in his late fifties and Kate's eyes darted to the name on the bench. Lennard Howard. She knew him and felt a flutter of hope. He was known to be lenient. She watched as he sat down, picked up some of his paperwork and looked around the court room.

"How does the defendant plead?"

"Not guilty, Your Honour," Thomas Logan answered on behalf of Megan.

Megan managed to look over her shoulder and found Lacey sitting behind her. When she saw her daughter she smiled in an attempt to look confident. Lacey smiled back and Megan felt a rush of gratitude well up in her. She looked back in front of her and thought back to the events from earlier that morning. Getting dressed for court in a prison cell. It wasn't what she'd usually wear, she hated these type of suits, but Thomas has suggested she'd keep it down for the time being. A light shade of pink gloss on her lips, a hint of foundation to add some much needed colour to her skin and some concealer to erase the dark circles that seemed permanently imprinted under her eyes. That was all it took to make it look like she had it under control, like she was strong.

"What are the people's thoughts on bail?" Judge Howard asked and he focused on the Assistant District Attorney sitting at the other table. The man, in his late thirties with jet black hair, stood up. Kate recognised him too. ADA Michael Johnson was a shark, with little empathy. He was almost as heartless and ruthless as his boss, District Attorney Sheffield, whom was sitting a little bit behind him in this court room. Kate had dealt with both of them in the past. She disliked them equally.

"Doctor Hunt poses a flight risk. She has access to money and knows her way around the judicial system. She committed her crime without remorse and robbed a man of his life and a family of their loved one," said Johnson and Kate felt her insides boil. "We recommend the defendant is held without bail."

"What are the thoughts of the defence?" Judge Howard asked and focused on Thomas.

He stood up, walked around his table and about half way into the court room. He walked with confidence and pride and although he knew that the evidence against Megan was almost bullet proof, he still went out there and gave it everything he had. "Doctor Hunt is a respected Medical Examiner. She stood in this very court room many times where her testimony put killers behind bars. She is a mother. She isn't going to turn around and leave her daughter. Like the prosecution stated, she knows her way around the legal system which means she is aware of all the implications these charges carry. We recommend Doctor Hunt is released on bail, has to hand over her passport and will be placed under house arrest with a curfew. I have several volunteers willing to vouch for Doctor Hunt."

Judge Howard nodded and Thomas made his way back to the table. He slipped into his seat and glanced at Megan. She didn't dare hope. If bail was denied she'd spent the next few weeks in prison until a trial date was set and even then there was no guarantee she'd get out. She kept her eyes peeled on the judge as he was going over some of the paperwork. Some of it, she suspected, was a description of the evidence they'd found. Thomas told her yesterday that the police had discovered a voice mail message on her phone from Jonathan McEldery, asking her to meet him. He mentioned a place and a time but when Thomas told her, she couldn't remember whether she went or not. He then said that the police were going over the security footage. Jonathan McEldery had been found not far from the restaurant he'd mentioned.

"Bail will be set at five-hundred-thousand dollars," Judge Howard ruled and the whispers in the court room grew louder. "Doctor Hunt will surrender her passport and be placed under house arrest. Mr Logan, you'd better find one of those volunteers who is willing to support Doctor Hunt. She will be living at their address until further notice."

Thomas leant into Megan. "This will be over soon," he said. "I know your bail will be posted. They'll probably take you the court house cells." He looked over his shoulder at Kate and made eye contact. She'd already stood up, with Lacey right behind her. "It won't be long."

The court police officers came to collect her and Megan willingly followed, assured that she'd soon be outside of the courthouse, able to breathe the fresh air. She wanted to be able to hug Lacey and kiss her forehead, telling her that everything was going to be allright. She was desperate to discover what put her in this position. She was going to find out exactly what went wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: **Hey ya'll, here we go with yet another chapter. And can I just leave a warning? You might wanna find a tissue... Happy Body of Proof Tuesday!

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**VI**

The court's holding cell was perhaps even more uncomfortable than the cell she'd called home for the last two days. The bed, if it was worthy of that name, was strapped to the wall with metal chains, the toilet needed cleaning and the sheets on the bed hadn't been washed in what looked like over a year. As she sat down on the mattress, Megan looked around. A couple of the other cells were occupied too. No one spoke. It was as if no hope, not a shred of happiness, lived down here. In the distance she could hear the voices and footsteps in the corridor but here, in the holding cells, were only those who were awaiting their trial. The court officer stood by the door, looking stoic and distant.

But Megan felt hopeful. Bail had been granted and once her lawyer had come to see her she could post it and she would be free to leave. It was a stretch, to try and cover the bail, but she could probably manage it if she relied on her mother's help. It would be the only time she'd ever accept anything from her but she didn't have much of a choice. Once she got out, she didn't know where she was going but she'd be away from here. The mere thought made her heart glow with happiness. She was finally getting a chance to discover what had happened.

Megan had only just gotten comfortable when the sound of footsteps approaching her cell alerted her. She didn't bother getting up and just turned her head to look at the door. To her surprise she recognised District Attorney Sheffield.

"Well, well, well," he said mockingly as he put his briefcase down on the floor and eyed her up. Clearly the sight of Megan locked up in cage was something he found amusing. The smirk across his face spread. "Doctor Megan Hunt. How the mighty have fallen."

"Did you come here to gloat or to be useful?" Megan snapped and swung her legs over the side of the rock hard bed. She sat up, ignoring the already protesting muscles in her back, and eyed up the man in his expensive suit. She and Sheffield had a few run-ins since she started her job as a medical examiner and she knew he wasn't particularly fond of her.

"Is this the attitude you give everyone?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "No wonder your friends didn't come running."

Megan arched an eyebrow and a sarcastic grin tugged at her cheeks. "In case you haven't noticed, I don't have any friends."

He shook his head and reached into his briefcase to pull out a small stash of paperwork. The court officer who'd been standing by the door slowly walked over and Sheffield looked at Megan. "You must have at least one friend because someone just posted your bail."

Megan walked towards the cell door and grabbed the bars with both her hands. She couldn't believe it. "What?" she whispered and attempted to look at the paperwork to see who had been the one to bail her out. "What do you mean?"

"Your bail was posted." He beckoned the prison officer and the sound of keys was the best sound Megan could ever imagine hearing. The door was unlocked and both men stepped aside so she could file past them. "You're free to go."

Tentatively Megan stepped out of the cell, half and half expecting to be the victim of some sick joke and have the door slammed in her face again but it didn't happen. The court officer closed the door behind her and then followed her through the corridor. With every step she took her confidence grew and by the time they reached the last door that separated her from the world outside she felt stronger than she had felt in days. The DA walked alongside her and took her arm just before she stepped outside, forcing her to look at him.

"You do know this doesn't mean you're innocent, Doctor Hunt, don't you?." His eyes were cold and distant.

Megan's green eyes were suddenly blazing. "I'm a Doctor and a Medical Examiner. I once took an oath to protect life. I know about forensics. Don't you think that if I would have killed someone, I'd have been a little more careful about leaving evidence?"

He looked at her up and down, contempt flickering in his eyes. "You were drunk, Doctor Hunt."

"Drunk but not stupid."

"That depends on who you talk to."

"Now you listen to me, you arrogant jerk," Megan hissed. "You've had it in for me ever since I railroaded the Kincaid case last July. You can't stand it that I prevented you from sending an innocent man to jail for the rest of his life. If this is your way of getting back at me, I hope you're ready because I'm not going down without a fight and I definitely don't intend on being that one high profile case you need to make your office look credible again."

"Megan…"

She turned around when she heard Kate's voice. The door had opened and she looked directly into her boss' blue eyes. The hint of a smile on Kate's lips made Megan's stomach tumble and she felt herself starting to glow. She gave one last dark look to Sheffield before stepping through the door and welcoming Kate's arms around her. It was an unexpected hug but she relished in the feeling nevertheless. Carefully she rested her head on Kate's shoulders and inhaled the sweet scent of her shampoo mixed with her perfume. Her heart pounded in her throat when she felt Kate's hands on the small of her back. Her lips brushed along Kate's neck when they stepped away from each other and their eyes connected.

"I don't think that's the way you should be talking to the prosecution," Kate said knowingly.

Megan frowned. "Is there some kind of law against that?"

"When it comes to you, Megan, there probably should be."

They walked out of the courthouse together and were surprised by the large amount of press waiting for them outside. Kate wrapped a protective arm around Megan's shoulders as she attempted to guide her away from the soulless vulchers. Her car was parked around the back of the building and once they had finally broken free from the crowd and had time to breath, Megan looked at Kate.

"Wait, why are you the one picking me up?" she asked and looked around, expecting to see her mother.

"Court order," Kate replied and looked at Megan. "Why, were you expecting someone else?"

"I don't know," Megan said slowly. "You actually volunteered for this?"

Kate grinned. "Someone had to do it. Who else do you know who could put up with you?"

Megan stopped dead in her tracks. They had almost reached Kate's car and the blonde had opened the door. She now turned around when she realised Megan wasn't following her any other and across the length of the sidewalk their gazes locked. Megan seemed shocked and looked at Kate as if she truly saw her for the first time. It was as if another side of her had emerged and Megan had never even known it existed. "Did _you _post my bail?"

"Yes," Kate answered and noticed how Megan's eyes widened. She knew the red haired doctor was going to say something in return but cut her off before she got in the car. "Now is not the time. Just get in the car and we'll talk about this when we get home…" She fell silent when she realised how that sounded and chewed the inside of her cheek. When Megan didn't move she sighed. "Megan, please just get in the car. If we don't leave now those damn reporters will find us again and if they do I'll be forced to make a statement. I don't want to do that so can we just go? Please?"

Megan walked over to the car, got into the passenger seat and buckled up. She folded her hands into her lap as Kate got into the car too and watched her from the corner of her eye. The truth was that she wasn't angry about Kate bailing her out. She was worried. Worried about what Kate had gotten herself into. She knew Kate valued her reputation. Was she doing this because it made her look good or had some done it because she really was her friend?

The drive across Philadelphia was quiet. The silence was interrupted only when Kate turned on the radio. She couldn't cope with the tension any more. The soft tunes filled the car and Kate was struck by how true the words were that she heard. _Do I want to say the things I say, __when I know that they are wrong. __Do I wait here forever for you, would you ask me to?_

Kate glanced at Megan as the singer's voice came from the speakers. The words had struck her and lingered in her mind. Megan stared out of the car window, watching the city flash by outside. Kate wanted to say something but she didn't know where to start. When they hit yet another red traffic light she sighed. "I promised Lacey she can come over tonight so you two can catch up."

Megan looked up and for the first time since they left the courthouse Kate could see how tired she looked. It was as if the mask she'd put on had finally fallen away. "I bet Todd was thrilled," she answered. "He looked like he'd rather be anywhere but in that courtroom today."

Kate swallowed hard. Sooner or later she would have to tell Megan about Todd's plans. "I think he was just upset." It was hard to lie for him. It made her feel sick. "You know, like everyone."

"He's just an ass," Megan said and Kate didn't disagree. She clenched and then relaxed her hands in her lap and Kate noticed, wondering if it were the nerves in her fingers playing up. Megan shook her head as she thought about her ex-husband. "Do you know what I hate most about him?"

"The fact that he's alive?" Kate suggested.

"Other than that," Megan smirked. "I hate how he always seems like the perfect parent. Always there when Lacey needs something and he certainly doesn't get into trouble"

"He's not the perfect parent." Kate's blue eyes found Megan's green just mere seconds before the traffic lights changed. "I think it's safe to say I have first-hand experience."

The rest of the car journey continued a slightly less tense fashion and when Kate drove into the parking garage underneath her building, Megan whistled through her teeth. The building was right in the middle of Center City and looked relatively new. As she got out of the car and waited for Kate to walk towards the elevators, she picked up the smell of paint.

"How long have you lived here?" she asked as she realised she and Kate never really talked much about their lives outside of work. Until now she didn't even know where Kate lived.

"About six months," Kate said as she led Megan to the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. The doors closed and Kate became increasingly aware of the small space between them. She glanced at Megan felt her cheeks turn red when Megan looked back at her. She tried to smile. "You'll be forced to stay in the apartment until the trial is over. You can leave but have to be back before seven pm and I'm afraid you have to let me know exactly where you're going so…" She paused. "I'm afraid you won't be bringing any boyfriends home."

Megan smirked. "Why would I do that when I have you?"

They looked at each other, struck by the sudden and unexpected double meaning to that answer. The soft ping announcing the elevator had reached its destination disrupted the tension and Kate stepped out of the elevator first, followed by Megan. They walked to the end of the corridor and Kate unlocked the door. Megan followed her in and found herself standing in an apartment that was at least double the size of her own. The large windows provided a beautiful view over Center City. The stylish cream coloured couches were decorated with brown pillows and cream coloured curtains complimented the windows and the overall colours. The walls were painted in a shade of beige and together with the dark wooden floor the white and brown tones added a warm, earthy feel to the room.

"Impressive," Megan said and turned around to find Kate walking into the kitchen. It was modern, complete with every appliance, and solid white apart from some silver touches. A glass dining table with leather chairs finished off the look and a large vase of white tulips stood in the middle of the table. "You sure you don't mind me moving in?"

"I'll show you your room," Kate said and Megan followed her. The bedrooms were past the kitchen, on the other side the apartment. The door to Kate's room was closed but the door to the main bathroom was open. It looked nice, with marble tiling and a large shower cubicle and double sink. A tub had been fitted to the other wall. They walked past the bathroom to the guest room and Kate opened the door.

A king sized bed, made up with crisp white sheets and decorated with a baby blue comforter and matching pillows, complicated by its silver frame, stood not far from the window. White curtains reached from floor to ceiling and black and white photographs decorated the walls. A white arm chair and a small desk with a chair finished off the room. A fitted wardrobe would give her all the space she needed for her stay here and Megan turned around after walking in to the room.

"Thank you," she said softly and smiled. "For everything."

The tears came without warning and she turned herself away, suddenly ashamed. She walked across the room to the window and stared out but jumped when she felt Kate's hand on her shoulder. The blonde stood right behind her and Megan slowly relaxed. She swallowed hard and wiped the tears away.

"I wish I knew what happened," she whispered. "I just…. I keep trying but…"

"I know," Kate said softly. "We're doing everything we can, Megan. Ethan's running more tests on the blood we found." She sighed. "Tommy and Adam are still looking for the gun and they're going over the security footage of the restaurant where you were supposed to have met Jonathan McEldery."

"I didn't do it," Megan breathed. Another tear trickled down her cheek and she brushed it away. Kate's hand still rested on her shoulder, a comforting and strangely familiar touch. "I couldn't have. No matter how much I blamed Jonathan for what happened to my dad. I can't have killed him. I have Lacey. I lost her once and I only just got her back. I know what it would mean if I did this.. .They'd take her away and I'd never see her again."

Kate hesitated. Megan had opened a door. She could tell her about Lacey now. Perhaps it was best to get all the bad news out of the way so they could focus on what needed to be done. It was almost as if Megan felt her hesitation because she slowly turned around, their faces mere inches apart. Green eyes found blue and the tear tracks were clearly visible on her face. Her eyes searched Kate's face and she could see the worry in her eyes. "You know something, don't you?"

"Todd came to see me yesterday," Kate said slowly. "He came to tell me that he is going to try and file for sole custody of Lacey because of the murder charge."

Megan's jaw dropped. "He's going to do_ what_?!"

"He's going to try and take Lacey away from you."

"That son of a bitch…."

"Megan!" Kate placed both her hands on Megan's shoulders to stop her from walking away. She pinned the doctor down onto the spot and pierced her eyes into Megan's. "Listen to me, okay? I've told Todd that I'm not going to let him get away with this. He isn't going to do this to you. He can try but he is never going to win."

"You can't promise me that," Megan sighed. "You can't promise he isn't going to take my daughter away!"

"You have to listen to me and really hear what I'm saying," Kate whispered. "Do you trust me?"

Megan averted her eyes and stared down at the floor. "Right now I don't even trust myself."

Kate leant in. She was now almost close enough to kiss Megan but all she wanted was for the other woman to hear her, to really hear her. To believe what she was saying. "I know. But do you trust _me_?"

Megan swallowed. Her heart was racing. She was scared, confused, angry and sad. She didn't know what to do anymore. It felt as if the world was slowly slipping through her fingers and she was going to lose it all. "Trust is the one thing I have left to give, Kate. And it's the hardest thing to let go of."

"I'm right here," Kate said softly. "You don't have to do this all alone, Megan. I'm not going to let you." Without really thinking about it she kissed Megan on her forehead and took a step back. It seemed the unexpected display of tenderness had confused both of them and she couldn't read the look in Megan's eyes. Kate tried to smile, masking how broken she really felt inside. "Maybe you should go and take a shower. Or a bath. Try and relax a little. I'll order us some pizza and then maybe later we can talk, ok?"

"Ok," Megan whispered and watched how Kate left the room, closing the door behind her. Suddenly there was only emptiness and cold. The comfort and warmth that Kate had brought had vanished with her. Now that Kate was gone Megan sank down to the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest. The tears streamed freely down her face and she cried all the tears she hadn't been able to cry before. She covered her face in her hands let out all the pain that had been building up inside of her.

What she didn't know was that on the other side of the door Kate listened, hearing the quiet sobs coming from inside the room. And outside in the hallway Kate slowly dropped to the floor too, her back against the door. They were separated by a couple of inches of wood that felt like a hundred thousand miles and Kate didn't know if she would ever be able to bring them closer together.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: **Thanks for all the brilliant and wonderful reviews so far, guys. It makes my day everytime I see one in my inbox! Now, if any of you watch Law & Order: Special Victim Unit, the following may sound familair. I got the idea from an episode of SVU from season 11 where something similair happened to Olivia Benson so if you have any questions and thoughts about it, let me know.

* * *

**VII**

Kate wasn't used to sharing her space. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time anyone had stayed at her apartment any longer than a couple of hours. She was a private person and enjoyed her space away from others but somehow hearing Megan stumbling around in the guest bedroom and then the bathroom was almost comforting. For once there wasn't just the silence and the soft buzzing of her refrigerator. There was the sound of another person, someone she could share with, and it didn't bother her one bit.

Once she heard the shower being turned on, Kate picked up her cell phone and called Curtis. He answered before the phone had even rung once. "Any news?" she asked as she walked across her apartment to the living room window and stared outside. It was another grey day, with thick clouds packed together in the sky. "How did Ethan get on?"

"I was just about to call you," Curtis replied and she could tell from the sound of his voice that there had been a break through. "They didn't find anything."

"Come again?" Kate asked.

"Tommy and Adam," Curtis clarified. "They went over the security footage from the restaurant where Megan was supposed to have met Jonathan McEldery. They found him but not Megan. He arrived, sat at the table for a while and ordered a couple of drinks but there's no sign of Megan. He leaves after half an hour and that's it."

"But he left a message on Megan's voicemail asking her to meet him there," Kate said slowly and ran her fingers through her hair. The wheels in her brain were turning and she tried to fit the pieces together but there were too many gaps. Something in this picture didn't make sense. "So why was he there but not Megan and how did Megan end up with gunshot residue on her hands and her blood on his body?"

"That's the real interesting part," Curtis said. "Ethan got the results back from that blood test you asked him to do plus a few more that he thought could help give us some answers. The blood found on the victims clothing that belonged to Megan? Turns out there's something wrong with it."

"What do you mean, there's something wrong with it?" Kate asked, her voice shifting as the anticipation kicked in. She glanced over her shoulder when she heard the shower being switched off. Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she attempted to remain focused on what Curtis was telling her. "What did you find?"

"When Ethan ran the tests, he found a small anomaly," Curtis said slowly. "In normal DNA about 80 percent of the markers are methylated." He paused, as if he waited for Kate to react but when she didn't speak he carried on. The brief moment of silence only increased the tension Kate was experiencing and she released her breath when Curtis spoke again. "In the blood we found none of the markers are."

Kate frowned. "What do you mean?"

Curtis took a deep breath. "Ethan did some research and came across a study by scientists from Israel performed a couple of years ago. Following their method, it is possible to take a random phial of blood, spin out the white blood cells..."

Kate gasped as she suddenly saw the bigger picture. "And white blood cells are the only ones that contain DNA..."

"Exactly," Curtis said and Kate could tell from the tone of his voice that he was both excited and worried. "It creates the possibility that someone took Megan's DNA, amplified it and added it to any random blood sample, making the sample entirely Megan's."

"My God," Kate breathed and turned around when she heard footsteps behind her. Megan, her hair still damp from the shower, walked into the living room dressed in a pair of simple jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Both items belonged to Kate but she couldn't remember the last time she worn them. The shirt was a little big on her and fell around the redhead's slender frame. Kate managed ti tear her eyes away from Megan and looked back out of the window, the grip on her phone tightening. "Assuming this is what happened, and assuming we can proof it, this means someone tried to frame Megan for murder."

"What's going on?" Megan asked, her curiosity sparked by those last words. Questioning green eyes searched Kate's face. "Something you wanna tell me?"

Kate beckoned her to be silent. "Did Ethan find anything else?"

"Yes, the original reason he looked at the blood sample from a different angle," Curtis said. "When we tested the sample for alcohol, it came back negative. There wasn't a single trace of ethyl glucuronide, supporting the theory that the blood found on the body wasn't Megan's, or at least wasn't left there the night Jonathan McEldery died. Even a small amount would have shown up in the toxicology."

"This doesn't make any sense," Kate said softly. "All this proves is that Megan's blood didn't have alcohol in and most likely was planted. It doesn't tell us who killed Jonathan McEldery or how Megan ended up with alcohol poisoning. Last but not least, Megan fired a gun. Her hands tested positive for GSR and she's got the obvious Beretta bite."

"At least we're a step closer to identifying it wasn't Megan who killed him," Curtis tried. "Still no trace of the gun though. Adam and Tommy are still looking."

"Don't hold your breath," Kate said and hung up. Slowly she turned to look at Megan and found the other woman staring back at her. She was struck by the vulnerability in Megan's eyes. Megan wasn't the type of person to let anyone in on her feelings and emotions but Kate could read them in her eyes. Megan looked tired, as if the strength to fight and appear strong had slowly slipped away from her. Kate took a deep breath and gestured towards the couch.

"What was all that about?" Megan wanted to know as they sat down. She curled her legs up underneath herself.

Kate took a deep breath. "Curtis thinks that the blood found on Jonathan McEldery's body wasn't actually yours."

"Not mine?" Megan asked and arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean? The DNA test proved that it was mine. It was what landed me in jail."

"A standard DNA test showed that the blood was yours," Kate clarified. "It didn't make any sense to me so I asked Ethan to run a load of other tests. First off he checked for the alcohol content in the blood sample and the test came back negative. There wasn't even the smallest trace which would suggest that you were sober at the time of the shooting, which seems unlikely. Added to the fact that Tommy and Adam can find no evidence of you actually meeting Jonathan, it made Ethan dig a little deeper and he found that your DNA has been fabricated."

"Fabricated? As in fake?"

"Yes," Kate answered. "Someone took a random blood sample, filtered out the white blood cells and added your DNA. They wouldn't even have needed your blood. Anything with your DNA on will have been enough. The process is so simple that any Biology undergraduate can do it, which is a scary thought." She heaved a sigh and stared down at the hands in her lap. "This leads me to my next question..."

Megan's green eyes found Kate's blue. "Who hates me enough to set me up for murder."

"It's beginning to look that way," Kate admitted. "The only thing that now ties you to Jonathan McEldery is his message on your voicemail and the GSR on your hands. We can't explain how that last one happened and we haven't found out why he contacted you and why you never went to meet him." She swallowed and peered at Megan through her eyelashes. "What is the last thing you remember, Megan?"

"Leaving the lab," Megan said. She sounded sure of herself. "We'd just wrapped up the Lancaster case and I'd promised Lacey I'd drop her at Todd's for the weekend." Her eyes narrowed as she managed ti replay the events in her head. "I picked her up from a friends' house, drove over to Todd. He invited me in but I said I couldn't stay…."

"Why?" Kate asked softly.

"He's my ex-husband and an idiot," Megan answered through gritted teeth. "Do I need a better reason?"

"I guess not," Kate smiled and fought to ignore the sudden warmth that came to live in the pit of her stomach. Every time Megan slated Todd, she felt a sense of hope. She knew better than to let it guide her but she couldn't deny it either. She let her blue eyes trail over Megan's face. "So that was Saturday evening. All of this happened on Sunday. Do you remember what you did that day?"

The pained expression on her face told her that Megan was trying to remember. "I must have gone home." It sounded tentative. "I didn't have any plans for the weekend." Realising that it made her sound sad and lonely, she looked up. When she saw the way Kate studied her face she knew the blonde understood. "I was going to catch up on some paperwork and went out for lunch…"

"Where did you go?" Kate asked.

"The usual place," Megan answered. "Sheila's Bistro, a couple of blocks from my apartment…"

Kate dug her phone back out of her pocket and scrolled through the numbers until she found Tommy's. she brought the phone to her ear and waited for the detective to answer. "Hey, it's Kate," she said when she recognised his voice. "Megan remembers going to a place called Sheila's Bistro. Could you check out what time she was there and what time she left? What time did Jonathan McEldery leave that message?"

"Not until seven pm," Tommy answered and Kate frowned.

"Time of death was around eight o'clock."

"Why does that matter?"

"Because it would have taken Megan almost that long to get to him, even on a Sunday night," Kate said and sat up with a jolt. "He wanted to meet her on the other side of town. At best it would have taken her forty-five minutes to get from her apartment to the restaurant." Her heart pounded in her chest and next to her Megan sat up, hope flickering in her eyes. "Did Curtis tell you what they found?"

"The DNA sample?" Tommy asked. "Yeah, he explained it."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Surely this is enough to talk to the judge and have the charges dropped?"

"Kate, Megan still had GSR on her hands…"

She sighed. "I know."

"I want to prove her innocence just as much as you do but…"

"I doubt that," Kate answered and glanced at Megan. "But I know what you're saying." She hung up and left the phone on the couch's arm rest. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she wondered about the events that had led them to this very moment. "I wish I knew what's coming next."

"Do you think I could see him?" Megan asked timidly. When Kate looked up she tried to smile. "Jonathan, I mean. Do you think I could see him?"

"I…" Kate began and her smile faltered a little. "Megan, I'm not supposed to let you near the morgue until all of this is over." Megan nodded but the sadness reflected in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I understand."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Kate asked softly. "Between your dad and Jonathan?"

Megan fell back into the pillows on the couch and ran her fingers through her wet hair. "They used to work together. They were both accountants and between them they had some of the wealthiest clients in Philly. Daddy used to say that he knew everybody's dirty secrets because he was the one who saw where their money went. I think they had some shares too. I remember him and Jonathan talking about the prices going up and down. And then one day…" Her voice cracked. "I heard him shouting over the phone at Jonathan."

"Do you remember why they were shouting?"

"About money," Megan said softly. "Dad said Jonathan had been wrong to do what he did. He should have told him about it but not it was too late. I didn't know it back then but Jonathan had been using the money he and dad looked after for gambling and he lost it all. He then tried to cash in some of the shares but only created a bigger problem. The morning dad spoke to him, several people came to the house to ask for their money. They weren't the type of men my mother wanted in the house."

Kate frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Jonathan had lost mob money," Megan said softly. "I think my dad knew he was in with the bad crowd but there was very little he could do. But when the cops came he knew he was in trouble. Jonathan had forged his signature on most of the cheques and so it looked like it had been my dad who took the money, not him"

"I was twelve when it happened. " Megan swallowed hard. The lump in the back of her throat didn't shift. "I went to school that morning like I did any other day but I came home to a different world. The pain and the confusion I can still recall today. They say that trauma's the friend of memory, and the enemy of everything else." Megan looked around the room and her eyes found Kate's. What she saw in them made her heart glow and she averted her eyes, unable to bear the feeling that welled up inside of her. "You never know when a loved one steps out of the door, it could be the last time you see them."

Kate didn't know what to say. She stood up, walked into the kitchen and came back with two wine glasses and a bottle. She handed Megan the glass without speaking and poured the burgundy liquid in it. Megan watched it swirl around her glass as Kate sat back down before bringing it to her lips abd taking a small sip. The alcohol tasted bitter in her mouth.

Kate reached for the TV remote and switched it on.

"Oh, damn," Megan said, frowning at the flashing television screen that had the words 'Medical Examiner Charged With Murder' scrolling across it. A picture of her was plastered across the screen and the reporter was repeating the same old details over and over again. She stared into her drink, a twisted grin tugging at her cheeks. "That really isn't my best shot."

Kate leant back against the couch and grinned, struck by the humour in Megan's voice. "They've been showing that for days."

"Seriously?" Megan asked. "Don't they have anything better to do?"

"No," Kate answered. "You're the latest trend."

Megan took another large gulp from her wine. It didn't taste any better and it didn't help to make her feel any better either. Yet she finished off her glass with two more large gulps and put it down on the table, eying up the bottle. "I'm going to drink until my internal organs start a revolution and leave."

Kate wasn't sure if Megan was serious. "Do you think that's a good idea, considering the position you're in?"

"No, but unless you have any other suggestions it's the best I can come up with."

A knock on the door made them look up and Kate stood up. When she reached the door she peered through the spy hole before opening up. Lacey stood outside, a small suitcase beside her. Her face lit up when she saw Kate but her eyes widened with happiness when she discovered her mother sitting on the couch. Kate stepped aside so let her pass and watched how Megan leapt up and enveloped her daughter in her arms. Megan pulled Lacey close to her chest and kissed her on her forehead as the teenage girl wrapped her arms around her mother's back.

Kate was about to close the door when she realised Todd stood outside. She noticed him looking at Megan and stepped out of the apartment, closing the door behind her after taking the key from the inside lock so she could let herself back in. She folded her arms across her chest as she eyed Todd up. "What are you doing here?" she wanted to know. "You were just supposed to drop her off for a couple of hours."

"Don't be so defensive, Kate," Todd said sharply. "I wanted to make sure Megan's allright."

"She's fine," Kate commented and gestured back at the door. "All things considered."

"You told her?!"

"Of course I told her! What did you expect me to do?!"

Todd shook his head and took a step towards her. He was a few inches taller than she was and towered over her. "Would you have done this for anybody else?"

"What's your problem?" Kate wanted to know. "Are you _jealous_?!"

"I have nothing to be jealous about," Todd countered. "It's never going to happen, Kate. Megan used to be married to me. I know it's never going to happen. She is never going to fall for you."

"I used to date you," Kate pointed out and she watched how his face fell. "Look what happened there." She lifted up her chin and a hint of arrogance and pride reflected in her eyes. "Megan needs a friend right now. She doesn't need some jerk who thinks it's OK to try and ruin her life even more. She's come a long way with Lacey and, just for your information; it looks like someone is trying to frame her for murder. Maybe next time you might want to hold back your judgment until you know all the facts. Megan would never be capable of doing what you think she did."

"Oh, come on, Kate!" Todd countered. "Don't tell me you didn't believe she did it!"

"Not for a second," Kate sneered. "I know Megan."

Todd jerked his head. "You just think you do," he reminded her and turned around. He started for the elevator. He pressed the button and looked over his shoulder as the doors slid open. "But there will come a day when you'll look at her and realise you never really knew her at all."

Kate didn't answer. She waited for him to be gone before going back inside and closing the door behind her. Megan and Lacey were sitting on the sofa and she could hear Megan's soft laughter. It sent her heart into overdrive and she felt the blush spread across her cheeks as she walked into the living room. All things considered, this was a surprisingly comfortable situation and she managed to find herself a spot next to Lacey, who had already discovered her DVD collection and insisted on watching The Notebook. Her eyes briefly found Megan's and she realised there was nothing she could do about this situation. And even if she could have, she didn't want to. She smiled and picked up her cell phone.

"So, who wants pizza?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note:** Well, yesterday's episode finally gave us a handful of beautiful Kegan scenes. The Kegan shots inspired a large part of this chapter because of the camera angles and stuff. I also picked up on a couple of things we've learnt about Megan and Tommy. I am not setting out to make him the bad guy but I do think he must have screwed up real bad for Megan to dislike him as much as she does in certain ways. Having seen what he did to that bodyguard, suddenly my twist didn't seem so far fetched anymore. Anyway, just my two cents. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

* * *

**VIII**

Leaving Megan at her apartment had been strange. It felt almost wrong to leave her. Kate couldn't get the thought out of her mind as she parked her car in the underground parking lot and made her way to the elevator. She pressed the button and ran her fingers through her hair. As she waited, her mind flashed back to the moment earlier that morning when Megan had walked into her kitchen. The smell of coffee had lured her out of her room but still Kate had been caught by surprise when she laid eyes on the other woman. They'd stared at each other for a couple of seconds, silence lingering between them, before she offered Megan a mug and pointed at the coffee machine.

They had moved around each other and the kitchen with a strange sense of familiarity. Megan went for the fridge just as Kate walked past and she stepped out of her way, turning on the tip of her toes as she did so, and they caught each other's glance. She could have sworn there was a hint of a blush on Megan's cheeks as she smiled.

"Are you sure you want to leave me here?" Megan had asked, lookin at Kate from over the rim of her white coffee mug.

"I can lock the door and not leave a key," she'd answered. "That way, if you leave, you'll lock yourself out and you'll be forced to spend the day outside."

"I don't think I'm cut out for the hobo look just yet."

"I'm sorry, Megan, but the court specifically stated you're not allowed anywhere near the morgue or the lab." She saw the disappointment in Megan's eyes and felt guilty. "I'll call you as soon as I hear anything."

Megan had walked her to the door and saw her out. No one had ever done this. Not even the people she'd been in relationships with. She'd always made sure they were either gone by the time she left for work or they left together. If she happened to spend the night at someone else's place, she'd always come home first before going to the office. It was just something that she did. But that morning when she turned around and looked over her shoulder before stepping into the elevator, Megan stood in the doorway. Cup of coffee in hand, smiling. There and then she knew that she never wanted to see another thing in the morning ever again.

Kate heaved a sigh as the elevator doors slid open and she stepped in. Before the doors closed, someone else stepped in and it wasn't until the other person spoke that she realised it was Curtis. She was so lost in her mind that he had to tap her on the shoulder to really get her attention. She looked up with weary eyes and tried to smile. "Oh, hi, Curtis."

"Are you allright?" Curtis queried suspiciously.

"Yeah, fine," Kate stammered. "Just getting used to Megan living with me." She arched an eyebrow. "I didn't hear any of you volunteering."

"How's she holdin' up?"

Kate sighed and rolled her eyes. "All things considered? I think we should be grateful she hasn't barched in here yet."

"I keep expectin' her to."

"You and me both." She stared down at the shiny elevator floor. "What's the latest?"

Curtis gave Kate a sideways look, clearly not convinced she was as strong and collected as she made herself appear. "Tommy and Adam have finally started to figure out someone's trying to frame Doctor Hunt and are looking into her past. You know, anyone who would wanna set Doctor Hunt up for murder."

"Any luck?"

"Do you have any idea how many people that woman's pissed off?"

"I dread to think." Kate grinned to herself. Megan had a knack for pushing people's buttons and rubbing them the wrong way. Personality traits aside, her line of work made Megan the type of person plenty of people would like to set up. Her work had landed many killers in jail and none of them were particularly grateful. She began running through the cases Megan had worked on in recent weeks and looked at Curtis. "Where will they start?"

"With the ones that have made threats to Megan in the past," Curtis answered. At that same time the elevator doors slid open and they walked onto the floor. Kate immediately spotted Ethan, who was waving a piece of paper above his head in an attempt to draw her attention. She crossed the length of the department and noticed the excitement on his face.

"What have you got?" she asked when she reached him.

"Stills from the security camera in Sheila's Bistro, not far from Doctor Hunt's apartment," Ethan said. When he saw the way Kate looked at him he grinned. "I have a friend who works for the company that installed the cameras. They accidentally came to me first before going to Detective Sullivan." He pushed a couple print outs into Kate's hand. "She's there from twelve fifteen till a little after one o'clock."

"So that part of Megan's memory checks out," Kate said slowly. She was glad to know that what little Megan did remember had turned out to be correct. It gave them a better time scale. There were now only six or seven hours left to account for. She narrowed her eyes as an idea began to form in her head and she looked back up at Ethan. "Megan says she's a regular at that place…"

"What are you thinking?" Curtis appeared behind Kate.

"Whoever fabricated Megan's DNA must have taken a sample from somewhere. What better place to do it than a diner where she used the utensils and cups?" Kate said and looked at the two doctors. They looked slightly horrified and she couldn't deny that the thought unsettled her too. "We get DNA of those all the time. What's to say that whoever targeted Megan didn't do the same thing?"

"What do you want us to do?" Ethan asked. "The security footage only goes back a couple of days. If someone did take Megan's DNA from that place then they must have done it some time ago. We'll never find them on this."

"I'll get Tommy and Adam to check it out," Kate said and when Curtis looked at her in surprise she placed her hands on her hips. Her blue eyes hardened. "This is Megan we're talking about. They'll do as I say."

"This is going to get us all killed, isn't it?" Ethan asked as Kate turned on her heel and walked away.

Curtis tried to smile but he couldn't quite manage it. His eyes were still fixed on Kate as she disappeared into his office. His words almost sounded melancholy when he spoke. "It will if we don't find out who set up Doctor Hunt."

Kate slammed the door to her office behind her in frustration and paced around the room for a couple of minutes before slowly sitting down at her desk. She had hoped to find some answers by coming here today but so far all she felt was anger and irritation. She knew someone out there was trying to frame Megan but she couldn't seem to fit the pieces together to determine who it was.

A knock on the door drew her attention and she looked up before groaning in frustration when she saw Tommy. He walked in, closing the door behind him, and eyed her up. "Is it safe?"

"What can I do for you?" Kate asked, ignoring his question.

"You can start by telling your team to leave police work to the police," Tommy said. "Your boy Ethan just gave me the security footage of the bistro Megan went to."

"Not my mistake that Ethan's friend sent it here first," Kate answered and raised her hands in mock surrender. She gave the detective the once over and leant back in her chair. "Now, how can I help you?"

"We found a gun matching the calibre bullet that was used to kill Jonathan McEldery," Tommy said and he didn't miss how Kate suddenly sat up. "It was found in a dumpster three blocks from the restaurant, wrapped up in a steak wrapper. They've tested it for prints but it was wiped clean. I'm waiting on ballistics but the gun's a Beretta…"

Kate sighed. "No prints means no connection to Megan."

"Unless the bullet matches. Then we're right back where we started."

"Did Curtis tell you about the possibility that whoever fabricated Megan's DNA may have taken it from the diner she usually goes to?" Kate asked but when she saw Tommy's face she immediately knew that he had a different idea. She leaned in. "You don't still believe she did this, do you? Come on! The DNA was fake! Any Biology undergraduate could have done it!"

"And Megan is a hell of a lot better than your average student," Tommy countered.

Kate's jaw dropped. "You do, don't you? You actually believe she did it!"

"Jonathan McEldery ruined her father and he killed himself because of it. You and I both know that Megan never accepted what happened. She's always wanted to know what made her father do what he did. It happens. In fact, it's more common than you think with kids whose parent killed themselves," Tommy said. "Jonathan comes back to Philly, wants to see Megan. She sees this as the one chance to get answers but things don't go as planned…"

"NO!" Kate said sharply and stood up from her chair. "If you're going to sit here and tell me you think Megan killed this guy, then you can get your ass out of my office and my lab. The only people I want in here are the ones who are trying to proof she is innocent." Her blue eyes searched his face. "I thought you were supposed to be her friend?"

"And I thought you were supposed to be objective but look whose feelings got in the way!"

"What are you trying to say? That I can't keep an open mind?"

"I'm saying that your feelings for Megan are overruling the science and evidence."

Kate walked around her desk and was now only a couple of steps away from Tommy. All the loathing she'd experienced towards him in recent weeks reached the surface. "My feelings for Megan?" she hissed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? You're in love with her!" Tommy sneered. "You're in love with her and you're letting those emotions take over."

"It doesn't matter if I am or not," Kate hissed but deep inside her emotions were all over the place. Cold shivers crept down her spine and her hands became clammy. She felt the rush of blood to her cheeks but she fought to keep her composure as her heart hammered in her chest. Ice cold blue eyes found Tommy's. "What does matter is that I am still doing everything I can to help her whereas you are doing absolutely nothing at all! Megan needs our help, not our judgment."

Tommy searched her face. "You're not denying it, are you?"

Kate jerked her head and turned away from it. "It's none of your business. I don't owe you an explanation."

"I've known Megan a long time and…" Tommy cut his sentence short and momentarily appeared dumbstruck. Kate slowly turned back to look at him and noticed the way his face had changed. His eyes slowly found hers and whatever accusations there had been before, they were now gone.

"What is it?" Kate asked, her voice suddenly laced with a hint of worry.

"What do you know about Megan's work before she came here?" Tommy asked and Kate cocked her head. "You asked us to look into the cases she worked when she became a Medical Examiner. The list is endless. Every other murderer makes threats but most of them don't put them into actions." He slowly started walking around Kate's office. "What do you know about her?"

"That what I was told when I hired her and whatever Megan shared with me since coming here," Kate replied. "Obviously I read her resume before I gave her the job and it was very impressive but…"

"But it probably wouldn't have contained everything, is that what you're saying?"

Kate slowly nodded. "We have to look at Megan's time as a surgeon."

~()~

Megan stared out of Kate's living room window for the longest time. The city looked dazzling and the Philadelphia skyline was beautiful as ever. She'd been staring through the glass for the last fifteen minutes. Her mind was full of thoughts and shreds of memories she couldn't even begin to put together but the emotion that overruled all of them was guilt. This was all her fault. This was why she couldn't have that happy ending in her life. It seemed that whatever she touched, wherever she went, she ended up breaking what she had and even if she managed to rebuild it, there would always be the cracks. Nothing could ever be fixed without a scar.

It had been several hours since Kate went to work. At first she'd welcomed the silence in the apartment. No longer being around Kate had helped her relax but now the silence and the fact she couldn't leave were beginning to get to her. Irritation was eating away at her insides as she fumbled with her hands. Lacey had brought a bag of her clothes and she was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a white button up shirt. It felt good to wear her own clothes again but it didn't change anything about the way she felt.

She was a doctor. She had been trained to fix what was broken, or take out something that was damaged. She'd put broken bones back together and sown stitches into skin after flesh had been torn. She'd cut hearts out of chests and held them in her hand. The injury would heal and only a scar or a row of stitches remained. But she couldn't do this in her own life. She too was broken, like the bones she had set, the brains she had operated on and the flesh she had stitched. She couldn't fix her own emotions or her shattered memories and she couldn't repair the pain in her heart whenever she thought about Kate. It was moments like this, when pain became too much, that she shut down.

People called her a cold and heartless bitch because that's what she wanted them to see. She didn't want the world to know that behind the mask of Megan Hunt, Medical Examiner, a woman with a broken heart was hidden. All the pain and all the grief had been building up over the years but no one would guess it if they looked into her eyes. The sharpness of her tongue and her defiance made that people didn't want to come close to her because she knew that if they did, they would see the real Megan and she couldn't let them see. Not just yet. Maybe not ever. She wasn't ready.

Megan turned away from the window and her eyes wandered around the living room. This was Kate's house. Kate had invited her in, offered her a place to shelter from the storm. She'd done everything she could to help her. Megan didn't know how to feel. She was grateful but at the same time there was something else, something much more intense, bubbling below the surface. There was a glimmer of hope, something she didn't normally allow herself to feel. This morning, when she and Kate stood in te kitchen together, she'd realised that this was what she wanted. This was all that she'd been looking for. To just _be_. It wasn't about the pretty things like dates in expensive restaurants or trips to the movies. It wasn't about Christmas or Thanksgiving. It was about that tentative smile in the morning as they drank their coffee and how they somehow sensed each other so well that they did not need words to speak. They could just _be_ and until now Megan had never really known, or understood, what that was like.

It took just one person to change everything in her life. They could be opposites and still find their common ground. It just took one person to change her, to change the way she looked at herself and at the world. It took just one person to fall in love with and learn that whatever she had known until that moment was no longer all that she could have. Just one person. Kate Murphy was that person.

The sound of the key in the door made Megan's eyes snap up and she took a surprised step backwards to the window when Kate walked in, dropped her keys in the porcelain bowl by the door and kicked off her high heeled shoes. It was a little after twelve o'clock and she had only been gone for half the day. Megan hadn't expected her to come back this early and when she noticed the dark look on her face she knew something had happened.

"Hi," she said softly and Kate's eyes darted around the room when she heard Megan's voice.

"Hi." She blinked a couple of times as she took in the sight of Megan in her living room. The afternoon sunlight reflected in her red hair. "Sorry… I…."

"Kinda forgot I was here?" Megan finished Kate's sentence with a sly smile.

Kate felt her cheeks turn red. "I guess I did."

Megan walked across the living room until she was just a couple of steps away from Kate. "Everything allright?"

Kate turned away and walked into the kitchen. She heard Megan follow her and resisted turning around. She knew she would have to start this conversation somehow but actually doing it was the hardest part. She placed her hands flat on the kitchen counter, the marble cool against her warm palms, and hung her head.

"What can you tell me about your time as a surgeon?"

"What?" Megan asked in surprise. "What has that got to do with any of this?"

Kate swallowed. "Tommy mentioned it."

"Tommy?!" Megan spat. "Tommy couldn't pick his own father out of a line-up."

Slowly Kate turned around. A hint of curiosity flickered in her eyes and the question came out before she even realised it. "Why do you hate him so much?" When she saw the shocked look in Megan's eyes she sighed. "Ever since he came to Philly, you've been on edge. There's something about him that you're not telling me."

Megan shook her head. "You don't wanna know."

"And what if I do?" Kate said softy and pushed herself away from the counter. She took a step towards Megan. "Come on, Megan. I can see it in your eyes. Something happened between you two. I know this isn't the easiest time for you and I'm doing the best I can to help you but you have to let me!"

Megan's green eyes were blazing when she met the blonde's blue orbs. "You don't have to try and fix me, Kate. I'm not broken!"

"That's right, you're not." Sarcasm dripped from her words as Kate folded her arms across her chest, anger evident in her voice. She wasn't sure how much more of Megan's defiance she could take. She knew all too well what it was like to have to hide behind a mask and perhaps it was because of that, because she knew how it felt, that she could see through Megan's mask as well. "You've been destroyed, Megan, and not even I can put the pieces back together."

Megan looked at the younger woman in a mixture of shock and surprise. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She turned on her heel and walked back into the living room, back to the window. She listened, waiting for Kate to follow, and she heard the soft sound of her bare feet on the wooden floor. When the light angle changed she caught her reflection in the glass. She swallowed.

"Tommy and I had a thing."

Kate's heart suddenly ached. How could she not have seen this? It was there, right in front of her, and she didn't see it. She didn't see it because all she saw was Megan, in the way she wanted to see her. She knew all the redhead's flaws and mistakes. She knew how imperfect she was and yet it didn't change anything about the way she felt but to hear her speak those words out loud, in front of her, hurt. Now she began to understand Tommy's initial anger towards her in the office, when he realised what it was she felt. Were they fighting for the same thing?

"It wasn't a very big thing. Hell, it wasn't even a good thing. But it was a thing." Megan's voice was strangely hollow. "I was doing my ER rotation; he took one in the arm. I stitched him up; he took me out to dinner. One thing led to another and after a couple of weeks I moved in with him. I don't think either of us knew what we were doing but it didn't last. Things like that never do."

"What happened?" Kate asked softly and she took a couple more tentative steps towards Megan. If she wanted to she could wrap her arms around Megan's waist. But she didn't. She couldn't.

Megan took a deep breath. "He lied." Her green eyes darkened. "He cheated, more than once, and for a long time he didn't see anything wrong with that. Then one night he came home…. He was drunk…." The tremor in her voice betrayed her sadness. "We got into a fight and he raised his hand at me."

"He _hit_ you?!" Kate breathed. She felt the strong urge to immediately leave the apartment and find Tommy, so she could tell him that even though Megan may never love her like she had once loved him, she would never lay a hand on her.

"Almost," Megan admitted. "I left before he got the chance. He apologised after that, time and time again. I guess he thought that twenty years was long enough to come looking for me and see if some of our old passion can be rekindled."

"And can it?" Kate whispered.

"No," Megan answered and turned around. Her green eyes found Kate's blue. "It's dead." She bit her lip. "I left New York. moved back to Philly. End of story."

"And then you met Todd." Kate realised that instead of talking about Megan's career as a surgeon they were talking about the parts of her life where her relationships had fallen apart. She looked down at the floor, severing the eye contact between them as the tension in the room reached its boiling point.

"Just another mistake to add to the list. When that went wrong too, people assumed I had to be lonely. Lord knows my mother did. The woman set me up on countless blind dates." Megan suppressed a snort in an attempt to change the atmosphere between them but she couldn't. They were here now, at this moment in time, and she knew there was only one thing she could say. Kate slowly looked back up and their gazes found each other once again. This was what they were, what they had become. She took a deep breath and chose her words wisely but carefully.

"People think being alone makes you lonely. I don't think that's true." Green eyes couldn't let go of blue and between the lines, as a silent echo lacing the words she spoke and those she didn't speak, a deeper meaning could be found. "Being with the wrong person makes you lonely. I know that now."

"We're all a little bit lost," Kate said. "All of us."

Megan shook her head. "It's a funny thing, that brick wall around my heart. It's what separates me from the world and the world from me." She attempted to walk past Kate but the blonde put her hands against Megan's shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. She had nowhere left to run when Kate's eyes pierced into her own.

"Hey, I got you," Kate said and for the first time in her life Megan knew that she meant it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note: **Hey guys, I just wanted to say how awesome ya'll are for leaving all your comments and reviews. They really mean the world to me. Thanks so so much!

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**IX**

Megan's legs were curled up underneath her and she clutched the mug of coffee Kate had given her. For the past five minutes she'd been staring into the warm liquid without speaking. The atmosphere in the room had shifted after Kate put both her hands on her shoulders. They'd looked at each other for what had felt like an eternity before Kate turned away and made coffee. By the time she walked back into the living room, Megan had sat down on the couch, her gaze fixed on the window.

Kate's eyes lingered on Megan. From the first moment Megan walked into the Medical Examiner's Office several years ago, she knew she'd done the right thing. Hiring Megan Hunt had been risky but she was known for taking risks and she always had a knack for knowing exactly when to strike. She was aware of Megan's reputation long before she accepted her application and although everyone around her warned her she was about to get burnt, she ignored them. She knew Megan was the best. What she saw in Megan was something she'd also seen in herself. Determination. Unfortunately, being the Chief, it meant that her determination was now used more in a political way instead of in an autopsy room. It had been a long time since she'd pulled an all-nighter, refusing to go home until she found what she had been looking for. But Megan still had all that and Kate cherished it, even if it came with the consequence that she always had to smooth over whatever mess Megan left behind. She wouldn't have it any other way.

"Why a Medical Examiner?"

Megan's eyes snapped up when she heard Kate's voice and she blinked a couple of times. "What?"

"Why did you become a Medical Examiner?" Kate asked again, now resting her chin the palm of her hand as she observed the hint of surprise spreading across Megan's face. "After your accident, there were tons of other things you could have done but you decided to do this. Why?"

"It seemed like the most logical step," Megan answered but there was undertone of doubt in her voice and Kate didn't miss it. "I couldn't use a scalpel in the OR anymore so I found another way to still do what I love doing."

"How many surgeries did you perform?" Kate wanted to know. After finishing medical school and doing her rotations, she had turned immediately to pathology. Some days she regretted that choice, having lost the opportunity to spend her life amongst the living rather than the dead, but that feeling always subsided when she was able to tell a family what had killed their loved one and provide them with the closure they so desperately needed.

A smile tugged at the corners of Megan's lips. Pride filled her eyes and her hands suddenly seemed to relax around her mug as her index finger followed the shape of the rim. "Hundreds." She took a deep breath. "I don't think I could give you a close enough estimate." Megan put her mug down on the coffee table. "After the crash I thought my life was over."

"Why?" Kate asked softly.

"Because I didn't know if I could ever use my hands again," Megan admitted. "The physio was a nightmare and I kept wanting to go too fast." Her eyes glazed over as she remembered the months of her life that had shaped her to be the woman she was now. She'd changed after the crash and she hadn't realised it until much later. She'd been devoted to her work, making long hours and sometimes almost forgetting she had a family at home but the crash had made her bitter and angry. It was in that same time that Todd got full custody of Lacey. In a matter of weeks, her whole life changed. She heaved a sigh. "When they finally thought I was ready to go back to work, I couldn't wait." Her eyes found Kate. "If I'd waited, I would have known my hands were not what they used to be."

"You didn't know you had paraesthesia?"

Megan didn't answer.

Kate leant across the coffee table, her blue eyes finding Megan's green. When their gazes locked she felt her heart jolt in her chest. "Megan, did you _know_ that you had paraesthesia when you went back to operating?"

"Looking back, I think I knew," Megan admitted quietly. The sadness in her eyes was so intense that it sent a shiver down Kate's spine. "I just wanted to be as good as I had been. I wanted to go back and make people's lives better. Heal them. Do what I was trained to do. I didn't think that my hands would be such a problem. It only happened a couple of times and by the time I went back to operating it hadn't happened for some time…."

"But then it did…." Kate left the rest of her sentence unsaid.

"And I killed someone."

Kate slowly sat up. She'd heard Megan tell this story only once before and she knew the burden weighed heavy on her shoulders. She didn't know what it was like, the knowledge that your actions had cost someone their life, but she could imagine the guilt. She'd seen Megan struggle at times, when the memories flooded back or when her new life crossed paths with her old one. Whenever Megan walked into the hospital where she used to work, the confrontation was right there in front of her. Around every corridor another memory lingered. She would never be able to escape what happened.

"Do you remember what happened?" she asked softly when she noticed Megan reached for her coffee.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it," Megan answered. She picked up the mug and studied her fingers as they made contact with the porcelain. These same fingers had failed her when she had relied on them the most. "I was performing a microvascular occlusion."

Kate's eyes narrowed. The term rang a bell. "Clamping off the artery that leads to an aneurysm, right?"

Megan nodded. "With occlusion surgery, a bypass is sometimes created to reroute circulation. I was about to graft another blood vessel to the artery that was occluded when…." Her voice cracked and in a flash she was back in the OR, staring down at her hands. Her tools had dropped to the floor and around her people were talking as blood spilled over her hands. One of the machines started beeping and a nurse shouted something. "My hand went numb…"

"Your patient died on the table," Kate concluded but Megan shook her head.

"No," she whispered. "My paraesthesia only lasted for a couple of seconds but it did more damage than I could undo. By the time I'd stopped the bleeding and clamped the aneurysm, she'd suffered such severe brain damage that it was unlikely she was ever going to wake up." She wiped a tear from her cheek and her eyes drifted to the window. "Twenty-three years old and her life was over. There was no brain activity at all. I had to tell her parents what happened. I'll never forget the look on her mother's face when I told her. They switched off the machines three days later and my career was over."

"Oh Megan…"

Megan shook her head and tears glistened in her eyes. "Don't."

Kate stood up and walked across the living room to the window. The sun had started to set behind the Philadelphia skyline, painting the skies in shades of amber and red. She wrapped her arms around herself. She and Megan were in the same room and they had just shared something she knew hurt Megan but at the same time they couldn't be any further apart. She was nowhere near finding out who was trying to set Megan up for murder.

The thought had barely left her head when she suddenly turned around. "What was the name of the patient?"

"What?" Megan whispered.

Kate's blue eyes found Megan's green. "The one who died, Megan. What was her name?"

"Caitlin." The name rolled off her lips so easily. "Caitlin Hansen."

"Okay," Kate said softly and glanced at her watch. It was late but she guessed it wasn't too late to still catch Tommy and Adam if she left now. She took a deep breath. "There's something I need to do. I shouldn't be more than a couple of hours. Would you like to go out for dinner when I come back?"

Megan looked up and narrowed her eyes. "I thought I was on a curfew?"

"Not when you're with me," Kate smiled. "I'd like to see what they'd do about it."

"Doctor Murphy, breaking the rules…" Megan whistled through her teeth. "Some would say I am a bad influence on you."

"I know better," Kate answered and started for the door after checking she had her phone. Megan turned around on the couch and watched her as she stepped outside. As she was about to walk away Kate noticed the elevator doors opening and found Todd walking out. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when their gazes locked and he smiled.

"What are you doing here?" she asked when he reached her. "I thought we were done."

"I want to talk to Megan," Todd answered and glanced past Kate into the apartment and saw Megan sitting on the couch. "Can I see her?"

"You're asking my permission?"

Todd's eyes raked over Kate's slender frame and she could tell that he hadn't forgotten the conversation they had when they last saw each other. A hint of contempt laced his words. "Do I need it to talk to my ex-wife?"

"I guess not," Kate answered and turned around in the doorway to look at Megan. "I won't be long. Call me if you need anything."

"I will," Megan smiled reassuringly and Kate left.

Todd stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him. Megan turned away and put her feet down onto the floor before folding her hands in her lap. She heard him walk towards her and he sat down in the same spot where Kate had sat mere minutes earlier. Slowly she let her eyes trail up to meet his and she couldn't hide her anger. It flickered in her green orbs and although they were no longer married, they were no strangers and Todd recognised the look immediately.

"Don't look at me like that, Megs."

"How do expect me to look?!" she exclaimed and raised her hands up in disbelief. "Kate tells me you want to file papers with the court so you can have sole custody over Lacey and on top of that you actually believe I killed someone!"

"Megan, listen," Todd began but she cut him off.

"No. I am done listening to you and your crap. You never wanted me to come back into Lacey's life and now that I have you want to ruin it. What is it with you, Todd? Why is it that every time things seem to be going my way, you walk in and destroy everything?" Megan sneered. "You kept me away from Lacey, then you slept with Kate and then you wanted to take Lacey with you to California. Why is it that you can't grant me even the smallest amount of happiness?"

"Are you hearing yourself?" Todd questioned. "Why is it always about you?!"

"Because it's my life in the balance here!" Megan countered. "You've done nothing to defend me and to top it off you're trying to take our daughter away from me again. What kind of a man are you?!"

"You know what, this is what you do, Megan. You're always putting the blame with someone else and you never look at your own mistakes. I thought you'd changed, especially with Lacey, but I guess I was wrong," Todd said sharply. "I came here to talk to you about what's going to happen next. I was going to give you a chance to fix this but here you are, pointing fingers at everything and everyone but yourself."

Megan averted her eyes. "I should have listened to Kate."

"What was that?" Todd questioned. "What was that you said about Kate?"

"I should have listened to her when she said what a total ass you are," Megan repeated. "I was married to you for almost ten years and yet I didn't know who you are. But she did. She figured you out and she bailed while she still could. I should have listened to her."

Todd's eyes widened. "Kate wouldn't have said that about me!"

"Not thinking about trying to get her back, are you?" Megan scoffed. "That's never going to happen."

Todd gave his ex the once over. He knew that darkened expression on her face and he could read the signs of her rising anger in the way her lips began to form a thinner line. "Not that I had any plans of asking her out any time soon but please, do elaborate. Why wouldn't it happen?"

"Because she's too good for you."

He stared at Megan. "You're actually serious, aren't you?"

"Like a heart attack."

Todd shook his head. "I thought you and Kate didn't like each other."

"Things change," Megan answered with a clenched jaw. The longer she looked at Todd, the more she wondered how they had ever ended up married. He had become a man she no longer knew, no longer recognised. He was but a stranger and she knew she'd never let him back into her life. "And people change too, Todd. She's the only one who's been there for me since this all began. I'd be dead if it wasn't for Kate."

He stood up and pushed his hands into his pockets before starting for the door. "I shouldn't have come."

"That's the smartest thing you've said all day," Megan replied and his eyes found hers. "So what are you going to do now? Still filing the papers with the judge? You know I could ask my mother to pull a few strings and your paperwork would never even see a docket."

"You wouldn't dare to go that far," he said.

Megan arched an eyebrow. "Do you want to find out?" Her words echoed in the otherwise quiet living room. "There's _nothing_ I wouldn't do for Lacey, Todd. And there is nothing you can do to keep her from me. You've done it once and I will not let you do it again." She took a deep breath. "It's one thing you wanting to get back at me but have you actually thought what this would do to Lacey?"

"Have you thought what this is doing to her?" Todd spat. "Her friends at school think you killed someone!" He watched how Megan's eyes widened. "And how do you think she'll take this whole thing with Kate? Do you have any idea how much of a hypocrite you are for attacking me when I dated her?"

Megan blinked. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Oh come on, Megs. You and Kate?" Todd asked and Megan's jaw dropped in surprise as she began to understand what he meant. The emotions in the pit of her stomach immediately came to live, spreading through her like wildfire. She felt her cheeks redden and the palms of her hands became clammy as in her chest her heart suddenly beat a little bit faster. "I thought she was joking at first but looks like I was wrong. When were you going to tell Lacey that now it's you who's screwing the boss?"

"You think me and Kate are seeing each other?" Megan gasped and shook her head in disbelief. He wasn't meant to know. She didn't know how he found out, or how he had even guessed. He was never supposed to know how she felt about Kate. Nobody in the whole wide world knew. Most of the time she still tried to deny it herself although deep down, she knew she couldn't. Not now that she spent this much time around her. "You know, I thought I'd figured you out but somehow you never cease to amaze me. Are you really as stupid as you look?!"

Todd looked at his ex-wife, clearly not believing a word she'd just said. "So you're saying there's nothing going on between you two?"

"Nothing!" Megan exclaimed. "Kate's helping out a friend, that's all!"

Todd cocked his head. "Well you might want to check with Kate to see she got that memo too."

Before Megan got a chance to answer Todd left, closing the door behind him. Megan was left standing in the living room, suddenly confronted with the deafening silence. She turned back to the window and stared through the glass. Darkness had fallen and the last hints of red and amber had faded. She saw the moon appearing from behind a thin layer of clouds and she spotted a handful of stars. When she was younger she'd always enjoyed looking for the constellations and her eyes subconsciously drifted off to the first star her father had ever shown to her.

She couldn't keep her concentration however and her mind drifted off to what Todd had said. How had he even known about her feelings for Kate? Half the time she barely managed to make sense of it all. It was hard to pinpoint when it had happened, or even why, but at some point her feelings for Kate had changed and now, as she looked back, it seemed as if they had always been there. Her initial anger over Todd dating her wasn't just due to the fact that she believed a line had been crossed. It was because he was dating Kate instead of her; that of all the people in this damn city it was him who went home at night and got to see her smile. She'd give everything to come home to that, night after night. Something as simple as a smile had changed her life and Megan knew that regardless of what happened in the future, that would never change.

The saying that opposites attract couldn't be more of an understatement when it came to her and Kate. She knew she pressed all Kate's buttons, and she largely enjoyed doing so. There wasn't a thing more beautiful in this world than seeing the storm of anger flash through Kate's blue eyes. Erratic, but true. They were miles apart, in many ways, but at the same time they shared the passion to find answers. They both respected death and all its quirks as well as sharing the understanding that everything in life was relative. Kate had looked death in the face when she got sick and Megan had seen it closing in as life faded from Peter's eyes. His heart stopped under her hands.

Somehow she wasn't even surprised to find herself loving another woman. It had been a long time since those feelings overwhelmed her for the first time. She'd been eighteen, just out of High School and starting university when she fell head over heels in love with her roommate. Until now it was one of the most passionate and tender relationships she'd ever had. The kind where neither needed permission or questions, where there were no words that described what they felt. It had felt like an endless night of shooting stars, like rain on a summer's day. It had lasted until the day her roommate's parents found out they were more than friends. She moved out, changed universities and never called her back. She was gone but never quite forgotten.

There were only mistakes after that. Tommy and Todd but others too. Nameless faces, met on a Saturday night during an alcohol induced trance. Strangers who, by the time morning light fell through the curtains, changed into another blur. There were too many to count and none of them had ever filled the emptiness in her chest. There had been no one who made her feel this way, like the rain fell on a day in late July, leaving her skin warm and soft, glowing and longing for yet another touch.

Megan turned away from the window and picked up her phone. Her fingers typed a message to Kate as her heartbeat echoed in her head.

_How long till you're home? I'm starving._

She sank down onto the couch with her phone in her hand, waiting for an answer as the hands of the clock swept across its face, minutes fading into time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: **Hey folks, I can't believe this story is nearly at 100 reviews. That's amazing and I am so grateful! Anyway, what I wanted in this chapter was a little bit of angst and humour as well as romance. I hope to have captured the essence of Kate and Megan towards the end, in a way that could fit perfectly into the show if someone ever decided to film this scene. Enjoy.

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**X**

When Kate came home Megan was waiting for her at the door. She'd gotten changed into one of her by now infamous designer dresses. Kate didn't even know Megan had brought some with her but her eyebrows shot up in surprise nevertheless when the red head stepped past her out of the apartment. Her eyes subconsciously travelled down along Megan's slender frame, from the curve of her hips down to her ankles. Her breath hitched when she noticed the high heeled pumps she was wearing. When her eyes snapped back up to Megan's face she noted the obvious signs of anger.

"What happened?" she asked as she closed the door. "What did Todd want?"

"He reminded me that he still wants to take Lacey away from me," Megan replied through gritted teeth. Before Kate could answer she smirked. "I reminded him that my mother used to be a judge. His paperwork would never see a docket."

Kate cocked her head. "And he accepted that?"

"He will." She turned to look at Kate after pressing the button for the elevator. "What did you find out?"

"What?" Kate said softly. She'd been lost in her mind, her thoughts wandering off to Megan and Todd.

"Back at the lab," Megan jogged Kate's memory. "You left in a hurry."

"We'll talk about this over dinner," Kate smiled and the elevator doors opened with a soft ping. She followed Megan inside and caught the redhead looking at her as the doors closed. Their gazes locked and for a couple of seconds they just stared at each other without speaking. The atmosphere and tension in the small space shifted and Kate became increasingly aware of her rapid heartbeat in her chest. She tried to remind herself that she was supposed to help Megan, not let her feelings cloud her judgment but it was getting more and more difficult by the hour.

Megan thought about what Todd had said. He insinuated that she and Kate were dating. She didn't know how he got that idea but it left her wondering if maybe her feelings weren't as well hidden as she thought. Todd did know about her previous relationships with women, and he had often been fascinated by it too, but since their divorce he had seemed reluctant to accept it. It was almost as if he'd rather wanted her to move on with a man than a woman. As the thought crossed her mind Megan realised that when it came to Todd she was dealing with that good old green monster called jealousy.

"You're smirking," Kate observed and Megan snapped back into reality when she heard the blonde's voice. "Something's amusing you."

"No," Megan countered but her smirk didn't fade. "I was just wondering where you're taking me for dinner, that's all."

Kate matched Megan's smirk with one of her own as the elevator doors slid open, revealing the car park. "You'll see."

"I don't like surprises," Megan reminded the blond haired doctor as they walked to the car. "They make me…" She paused and Kate looked at her. "…uncomfortable."

Kate just smiled and got into the car. Megan climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up whilst Kate manoeuvred the car out. When they left the parking lot, Megan felt herself relax. She had not left the apartment since arriving here and it was nice to be outside, in the city. She watched the thousands of lights flash by outside her window. People's faces were blurred against the darkening backdrop and he heard the sound of a car horn beeping behind them. She loved Philadelphia. It was the only place she'd ever called home.

Kate drove to a small restaurant on Rittenhouse Square in central Philadelphia. It wasn't far from Center City, where she lived. The tree-filled park was surrounded by high rise residences, luxury apartments and a few popular restaurants. Megan got out the car, knowing exactly where she was, and turned around to look at Kate. Their gazes locked and when the blonde noticed the redhead's smile, she relaxed.

"How did you know?" Megan asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice. "How did you know one of my favourite places is right here?"

Kate arched an eyebrow but a triumphant smile graced her lips. Her endeavours had paid off. "I listen, Megan. You should try it sometime. You might learn something."

"I'll remember that," Megan answered softly as she and Kate crossed the street towards one of the restaurants. The food was Italian and French, two cuisines Megan enjoyed the most. She was quite partial to steak too but she could get it on every other street corner if she wanted to. Sometimes she wanted good quality food and this place was one of the best in her opinion.

The streetlights cast a warm orange glow over the street and the park as they walked and Megan found her eyes drawn to Kate. They walked side by side, maybe a couple of inches apart, and their arms brushed against each other. It would have been so easy to just caress her hand and make it look like an accident. Her breath hitched as she moved a little closer, suddenly longing for the skin contact, and when she finally felt Kate's hand against her own she released the breath she'd been holding. Kate's fingers grazed the inside of her palm before falling away. Megan continued to look straight ahead, avoiding making eye contact, but her heart leapt up when she felt Kate's fingers a second time, this time without her own interference.

Kate felt Megan's hand against her own and the second the touch faded, she wanted it back. She moved a little closer to the other woman and let their hands meet again. The touch was only severed when they reached the restaurant's door and she held it so Megan could enter first. As the older woman filed past her, she turned and their eyes found each other again. It was as if in that moment everything changed. Silently they seemed to have understood that this, right now, wasn't something friends did. It didn't matter how they'd tried to hide it, or even deny it, but there was something else happening here. Something neither of them quite understood. When Megan smiled, Kate knew.

"Table for two?" Kate inquired when she followed Megan in. "Reservation's under the name of Murphy."

"Follow me," the waitress said and Kate and Megan followed her through the relatively quiet restaurant. It was dimly lit and candles in small glass jars stood on every table. Crystal wine glass were waiting to be filled and when they reached their table, Megan casually draped her jacket over the back of her chair before slipping into her seat. She took the menu the waitress offered her, although she had a pretty good idea what she was going to order, but used it to hide the blush on her cheek.

After about ten minutes the waitress came back to take their order and left a bottle of rose on their table. Megan reached for it and poured herself and Kate a glass. She then picked up her dribk and brought it to her lips. The alcohol left a slightly bitter after taste in her mouth but it gave her a little bit of courage, but most of all it seemed to bring back her voice.

"So what did you find out?" she asked and when Kate gave her a questioning look she rolled her eyes. "Look, I know you went back to the lab because you thought of something. I know you cant take me there but you can at least tell me whats going on."

Kate caved in. "Its something you said earlier," she said. "About Caitlin Hansen, the girl who died when your hands went numb during the surgery."

Megan frowned. "What about her?"

"Tommy and Adam started looking into your past, Megan. Mainly at the time when you were still a surgeon. They were looking for anyone who might be angry enough to set you up for murder and when you described what happened to Caitlin…"

"You think…"

Kate nodded. "That's exactly what I think. So I went to see Tommy and I told him what you told me. They were going to wait till the morning but they've now requested all the files there are on Caitlin Hansen's death tonight and they're doing a background check on her family." She stared down at her empty plate but felt Megan's eyes burning into her head. "Have you ever considered the possibility that Caitlin's family could be responsible for this?"

"Not her mum," Megan said softly. "Her mum's the kind of person who would catch a spider and release it back outside the house." She shook her head and nervously picked at her fingernails. In a flash she was back in the room on the day she told Caitlin's parents that their daughter was dead. She'd seen grief before but not like that. The rawest and cruellest of emotions written across faces that until a couple of seconds earlier had expressed hope. "But her father…"

"You think he could do this?"

"I don't know what to think anymore," Megan admitted. "All of this…"

"I know," Kate said softly and reached over the table to touch Megan's hand. "I'm sorry, Megan."

"Not as sorry as I am," Megan whispered. "If what you're saying is true then Jonathan died because of what I did. I may not have pulled the trigger but I killed him even so. Someone singled him out because of his connection to me, over what happened between him and my father. Whoever did this, knew that I'd want to meet him if he called."

Kate watched the hurt flash through Megan's green eyes and squeezed her hand. "They know you." Her baby blue eyes searched the older woman's face. "But I know you too, Megan, and I know you didn't do this. No matter what some of the others say. We've done everything we could. The evidence shows you didn't commit the crime."

"It doesn't explain how I ended up with GSR on my hands."

"You were unconscious at some point, Megan. He could have put the gun in your hand, have you pull the trigger and voila, GSR." Kate's hand slipped away from Megan's, albeit reluctantly, and she leant back in her chair. She saw the look on Megan's face and couldn't help but smile. "The only person who still thinks you're guilty is Todd."

"Yeah but he's an idiot," Megan answered and took another large gulp from her wine. This time the alcohol burnt down the back of her throat and she flinched.

"What did he say?" Kate wanted to know. "When he came over earlier. Was it just to talk about Lacey?"

Megan placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hand. She wasn't sure how to answer that question. Was it right to tell Kate that Todd thought they were seeing each other? She didn't know how to take it, let alone Kate knowing what to make of it. She chewed her lip and fingered a lock of red hair, her eyes drifting around the room. Kate leant in, blue eyes fixing on Megan's face. She didn't smile.

"I know that look, Megan."

Megan feigned innocence. "What look?"

"That 'there-is-something-on-my-mind-but-I'm-not-telling-you' look," Kate said knowingly. "You forget I've spent too much time working around you, doctor Hunt." A sly smile tugged at her cheeks as she used Megan's title instead of her name. "You've tried to avoid me one too many times and you're as clear as glass to me. Spill it."

"Todd thinks we're dating."

Kate frowned in confusion. "What, you and him?"

"No," Megan answered slowly, drawing out the word. "You and me."

Kate's jaw dropped and she snorted in amusement. "_You and me_? Dating?" Blue eyes widened and she blinked a couple of times. Megan's expression remained focused as she slowly took in the tell-tale signs spreading across Kate's cheeks. Her pupils slowly dilated and a hint of a scarlet blush appeared on her cheeks. Slender fingers suddenly picked at a napkin and another second later the eye contact was broken as the blonde stared down at her still full wine glass. "Where did he get that idea?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Megan asked and leant back in her chair. Her body language screamed confidence when really she felt insecure and nervous inside. Kate's body betrayed her but Megan knew better than to let herself get caught. She'd practiced long and hard at her stoic and cold appearance and even now she managed to keep it up. "Where _did_ he get it?"

"I have no idea," Kate stammered and peered at the red haired woman at the other end of the table through her eyelashes. She was aware of the blush on her cheeks and mentally chastised herself for letting herself her caught like this. She was a grown woman who'd been in more difficult situations than this one. She could handle a candle lit dinner with Megan Hunt, even if the red haired doctor had just made the suggestion someone thought they were dating. Which they weren't but she'd be happy if they were.

Megan realised with a shock that Kate wasn't blushing because she was flattered but that she was blushing because she was embarrassed. Everything about the suddenly shy body language told her something she had never even considered before. Could it be possible that underneath the sometimes cold and sharp demeanour, Kate Murphy actually had feelings for her? Was there such a thing? Her green eyes narrowed the longer she studied the blonde's face and the confidence started to fade from her body, allowing a softer and kinder Megan to shine through.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," she said softly. "Todd's always been kind of an asshole anyway so, you know, forget about it."

"S'allright," Kate answered and smiled. "I guess you… errm… just caught me by surprise, that's all."

Megan pulled a face. "Yeah, I seem to have a habit of doing that to people."

Kate picked up her glass and emptied it in one go. Her blue eyes almost immediately found Megan. "Listen, Megan, maybe we should talk…"

_Oh shit. She's going to think that I'm in love with her and she's going to tell me that she's flattered but doesn't feel the same way. Why the hell did I tell her what Todd said? You are such an idiot, Megan Hunt! Call yourself an adult? A friggin' teenager would do better at this than you are right now!_

"Do you want to forget about dinner?" Megan asked. She heard the nerves in her voice and she knew Kate heard them too. "We could go for a walk. After all, I'm breaking my parole anyway."

Kate smiled and took a handful of bills out of her bag. She left them on the table, picked up her coat and waited for Megan to do the same. Silently they left the restaurant, with Megan holding the door for Kate this time, and stepped out into the street. Without speaking they crossed the road into the park. Megan pushed her hands into her pockets and with every step she became more aware of her heart racing in her chest. She wanted to say something, anything, to change the atmosphere between them but she couldn't think of any words to say. For once in her life, Megan Hunt was speechless. She looked beside her and just caught the way the light of a street lamp lit up Kate's face.

"Kate?"

Kate looked up. "Yeah?"

"What're we doing?" Megan whispered.

Kate didn't answer. Instead she stepped forward, brought both her hands up to Megan's face and pulled her closer. Within a second their faces were close together and Megan for the first time really looked into Kate's eyes. What she saw answered any question that she might have had and she just waited. She waited for Kate to do what she knew she needed to do and when Kate's lips finally found hers, Megan knew that it was right. Her arms effortlessly slipped around the blonde's neck and she pulled her closer. The kiss grew from careful and nervous to passionate in a couple of seconds and when the need for oxygen drove them apart they merely looked at each other.

"Wow," Megan managed to say. "That was…"

"Unexpected?" Kate tried, a quirky smile lingering on her lips.

"Surprising," Megan answered.

Kate arched an eyebrow. "So…. you don't mind?"

Megan shook her head, her smile now matching Kate's. "No, I don't mind." She rose to the tip of her toes so she could kiss Kate a second time. "I don't mind at all."

They walked through the park, their hands linked together. For a little while neither of them spoke as they processed what happened between them. A line had been crossed and there was no going back, even if one of them wanted to. There was no escaping this. They eventually reached a park bench and when Kate sat down, Megan followed suit. Kate took a deep breath and stared down at her hand linked with Megan's. It seemed so natural and at the same time it was strange.

"You know this is going to be confusing, right?"

"Yep," Megan answered. "And at some point we'll be asking ourselves when, or how, any of this seemed like a good idea."

Kate nodded and blue eyes searched for green. "What do you want, Megan?"

"I want to take this step by step," Megan answered softly. "See where we go. I want to do it right but I'm scared. I've loved and lost before. Neither of us have done particularly well in the past when it comes to relationships. Your record is about as bad as mine." She smiled and Kate smiled too. "We're new to this, Kate. To all of it. There's so much to think about and at the same time I don't want to think about it at all…"

"Then maybe we should only think about it when it matters," Kate said softly. "And we'll see…"

"Yeah," Megan answered and looked at Kate. It didn't matter what she said. It felt right. "We'll see."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note: **Well, that's it, folks. Here's your last chapter of this story. It's been lovely to read all your comments and reviews and I am grateful for all the follows and favourites. It's always scary to venture off into a fandom that's new, which is exactly what I did when I started this story. It's been fun so sit back and enjoy this last little ride.

* * *

**XI**

Megan watched the golden sunlight reflect in Kate's hair. She was fascinated by it. Throughout her life she'd seen many things that took her breath away but this moment topped them all. There was nothing more beautiful than watching Kate Murphy sleep whilst the light caressed her skin and highlighted the colour of her hair. She couldn't keep her eyes of the blonde woman at her side and lazily her fingers trailed up along Kate's arm, eliciting a soft moan.

It had been late by the time they got home last night. A few more kisses in the park, a conversation about what could happen in the future followed by a car drive home. When Kate unlocked the door to her apartment and they were about to go their separate ways to their rooms, it had been Kate who took Megan's arm and pulled her back. Blue eyes had searched for green and a request had never sounded so soft and tender. "Stay with me."

They had simply slept, sheltered by the knowledge and the safety there was somebody lying beside them. They were no longer alone. When she woke up fifteen minutes ago, Megan had become aware of the arm draped across her waist and Kate's warm breath in the back of her neck. Nothing about it had seemed strange. In fact, she had never felt this comfortable before in her life ever. It was in the moment that she rolled over that she saw the sunlight that now held her gaze. This was beauty at its finest.

"It's rude to stare," Kate murmured and Megan chuckled softly.

"Sorry."

Kate's eyes opened and Megan was confronted by the palest shade of blue. "You sleep ok?" Kate wanted to know and Megan nodded as she moved closer to Kate and rested her head on her shoulder. A warm tingling feeling stirred in the pit of her stomach when she felt Kate's fingers threading her hair.

"Best night sleep I've ever had."

"Good," Kate mused and her lips somehow found the side of Megan's face. It was a soft kiss, like a butterfly, but it was enough to leave her flesh warm and burning. It was over too soon when Kate withdrew her arm and pushed the covers away from them. Megan attempted to hold on to her but the blonde managed to sneak out of her embrace and turned around as she left the bed. "I promised to meet Tommy first thing this morning."

"I'm sure he can wait," Megan said slowly and patted the mattress. "Oh come on, Kate."

"Megan," Kate said warningly and rolled her eyes. "No."

"Fine," Megan answered and shrugged. "Suit yourself." She watched as Kate walked across the room to the small en-suite bathroom. "Any chance you can sneak me into the building?"

Kate poked her head around the bathroom door. "Unless you fit into my handbag, that would be a no."

"Thought so," Megan sighed. When she heard the shower switch on she gave up and slipped out of bed. Her bare feet made contact with the floor and she padded past the bathroom. "I'm going to make coffee. You want some?"

Kate didn't answer so Megan left the bedroom and walked into the kitchen. Dressed in only an old shirt of Kate's, cream white and with the top button missing, she wandered around the apartment. Once in the kitchen she switched on the coffee machine, opened one of the cupboards and took out two mugs. She leant against the kitchen counter as she waited for the machine to heat up, half listening to the noises coming from the bathroom. That's when it struck her.

She and Kate were together. Together. As in, they had every potential of becoming a couple. Or fall apart. But either way, they were here, right now, together. They'd slept in the same bed. They'd kissed. More than once. If it had been just once, or even twice, she could have said that it was a mistake but there was no way she could deny that this wasn't something more than a fling. Their kisses had been different from anything else she'd ever experienced. For once, she kept longing for the moment it would happen again. She and Kate…. Together. They had a chance at whatever… whatever they wanted it to be.

The knock on the door startled her and Megan practically jumped. She brushed a strand of red hair out of her eyes and walked from the kitchen to the living room to answer. In her haste she forgot to check the spy hole and unlocked the door without looking. She blinked a couple of times, needing a second or two to register who was standing outside, and then the horror spread across her face when she realised she was looking directly at Tommy.

"Megan?" he asked in surprise when he noticed her stunned expression.

"Errr… hi…." Megan answered, her cheeks turning an uncomfortable shade of scarlet. "Tommy…."

He furrowed his brow and then seemed to remember why she was there. "I forgot you moved in with Kate."

"Well, I didn't really move in but...," Megan began but her voice trailed off. She managed to compose herself a little and straightened her spine, suddenly very aware if the fact that she was only half dressed in clothes that didn't actually belong to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Kate," he said. "Is she in?"

"She's in the shower," Megan answered and stepped aside so that he could step past her if he wanted to. "Do you want to come in?"

"Thanks," he said and waited for Megan to close the door. He then followed her into the apartment and she went into the kitchen. The coffee machine had kicked in and she put the first mug under it before pressing two separate buttons. The machine started buzzing and a fine stream of coffee filled up her cup. She couldn't turn around and look at him.

"Megan, is that coffee I smell?" came Kate's voice and Megan spun around. "I mean, if I hadn't already, I could kiss you right about…" The blonde's voice trailed off when she walked into the kitchen and realised Megan wasn't alone. Tommy turned around to and his eyes found Kate's. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds. Kate's hair was wet from the shower and she was still fumbling with her white blouse as she attempted to do up the buttons.

"Hi." Her greeting of the detective was short.

"Good morning," Tommy observed. He cocked an eyebrow. "Am I interrupting?"

Kate's eyes flashed to Megan but the redhead shook her head. She then looked back at Tommy. "No," she answered stoically. "Not at all. What can I do for you?"

Tommy's gaze fixed on Megan and she slowly looked up at him when she realised he was looking at her. She knew that look. He was about to say something. Something that would change everything. She'd seen that look before and she knew what it meant. "I thought you'd like to know that we arrested Jason Hansen last night."

"What?" Megan breathed. "Caitlin Hansen's father?"

"After Kate told us what happened to his daughter, we looked into him and his wife but Mrs Hansen is a miss goody-two-shoes. She and her husband got divorced not even a year after Caitlin died and she didn't hear from him again. When Adam spoke to her she said that her husband had become a stranger. She no longer recognised the men he was," Tommy said slowly and leant against the kitchen counter. "She tried to grief for her daughter but her husband could only think of one thing."

"Me." Megan's green eyes were cold and she looked up at Tommy, lifting her chin up to feign some confidence. "Did he confess?"

"He didn't have to," Tommy replied and he held Megan's gaze. He had expected to see relief but it wasn't what he saw. What stared back at him was guilt and loss. This wasn't the face of a woman who was relieved she was no longer suspected of murder, this was the face of a woman who would forever carry the burden of knowing that a man died because of a mistake she made. He took a deep breath. "When we searched his car we found a Beretta in the glove box. Two rounds are missing."

"Oh my God," Kate whispered and her hand found Megan's. "Does this mean that its over? Megan is no longer a suspect?"

Tommy nodded. "Yes. We're filing the paperwork first thing this morning to have the charges dismissed. It's over, Megan."

"No," Megan answered unexpectedly. "It's not." She put down her coffee and looked from Kate to Tommy and back. "I want to know how he did it. I want to know how he got my DNA and how he faked that blood sample. Do you have any idea what this means?" Green eyes reflected anger and hurt. "Every killer convicted on DNA evidence is going to claim his sample was tempered with. Hundreds of mistrials could be declared and killers could be let back onto the streets."

Tommy took a deep breath and pushed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "Megan, he told us where he got your DNA." He glanced up at her long enough to see the stunned look appear in her eyes. "He followed you for weeks and one day, when you left Sheila's Bistro, he took your utensils before the waitress could clear the table. He paid an old college friend to create the blood and planted it at the crime scene. He studied you, Megan. He learnt everything there is to know about you and he used it against you."

"He knew I blamed Jonathan for my father's suicide," Megan said softly. "Did he lure him to Philly?"

"No." Tommy shook his head. "Jonathan came back of his own accord. I don't know why but it could have been because he wanted to meet you. Hansen found out and he finally got the opportunity he'd been waiting for. He knew you'd fall for it and he wasn't wrong. Your anger over your father's death clouded your judgment and he played on it. He used your emotions against you."

"Don't you ever dare tell me that I am too emotionally closed off," Megan said sharply. "Here's the reminder why emotion sucks."

"Megan…" Kate began and the hand that had been resting on Megan's until that moment travelled up to her shoulder. She gently brushed a strand of hair out of the older woman's face. The touch was so soft, Kate's fingertips brushing against the side of her neck, and Megan instantly relaxed. "You can't blame yourself."

"Yes, I can," Megan answered coolly. Her voice was flat, void of emotion. She felt cold and empty inside, as if someone had reached into her chest and switched off her ability to feel. "Jason Hansen's daughter died because_ I_ wanted to do that surgery. I knew my hands weren't right but I did it anyway. I killed Caitlin and he tried to destroy me. _I _am to blame for this, Kate."

"What else did he say?" Kate wanted to know and looked back at Tommy. The hand that had rested on Megan's shoulder didn't move and she knew he watched her. She didn't care if he knew. He'd already figured it out when they stood across from each other in her office and right now, in this moment, she wanted to be there for Megan, protect her as best as she could. She knew he wanted that too but this was her job now. She was going to be the one to look after Megan from now on.

"He… He told us what happened after Jonathan McEldery was shot," Tommy said slowly. "What he did to Megan."

The red haired doctor swallowed hard. "What did he say?" When Tommy didn't answer immediately she stepped away from Kate and towards him. Blazing green eyes found his and the anger laced her words when she repeated her question. "_What did he say_?!"

"He said he had Jonathan call you to meet you at the restaurant. When you got there he waited for you in the alley. He drugged you." Tommy took a deep breath. "Chloroform." Megan's eyes widened. "When you came to, he gave you pure vodka. He said he had to force your mouth open because you struggled. You almost choked to death while he did it. He kept you in the back of his van for over an hour until you passed out. He put the gun in your hand, fired it, and then disposed of the bullet. That's how the GSR ended up on your clothes. He drove you home and used a skeleton key he stole from your landlord's office and copied to get in to your apartment. He put you to bed and left you there." Tommy's face hardened as they reached the point where Kate had discovered her unconscious body, close to death. "He knew how dangerously drunk you were and he left you there to die."

"He didn't care if I lived or died," Megan said softly and shook her head. "Either way, my name would had been disgraced. If I died people would think I drank myself to death. Committed suicide, just like my father did. And if I lived…" She hesitated. "He got to see me go to trial for a crime I didn't commit. I'd get to suffer the same way he suffered. He wanted to destroy me."

"I'm sorry, Megan," Tommy said. "I'm so sorry."

"No," Megan said softly and turned back to Kate. Without warning she fled into the blonde's arms and Kate carefully held on to the redhead. Megan buried her head in Kate's blonde hair and felt the tears burning down her cheeks. Tommy's words filled the black void the alcohol had left behind. It answered all her questions but it didn't erase her pain and anxiety, it only fed it. "No, it is me who is sorry."

"Maybe you should go," Kate said softly as her blue eyes found Tommy. He quietly nodded and started for the door. Kate slowly freed herself from Megan's embrace and followed him. When she caught up with him she leant against the doorframe and he turned to look at her.

"I know what you're thinking…"

"It doesn't matter," he said. "Megan made her choice and I'm glad she chose you."

"What? Why?" Kate asked, sounding confused. "I thought you cared about her too?"

"I do," Tommy explained and pointed at the kitchen area. "But in all the years I've known Megan, I've never seen her do what she just did. She showed herself to you, Kate. Megan doesn't do weakness or tears. What she did in there shows that she feels safe with you. Nobody else has ever managed to make her feel that way." He looked at Kate. "Believe me, I know."

Kate weakly smiled. "Thank you."

"I know where to find you if you hurt her, Doctor Murphy." It was said in gest but Kate knew he meant it. They had an understanding, one that didn't need to be spoken out loud. She gave a curt nod and went to close the door. Tommy stopped her and a quirky smile spread across his face.

"And before you ask, don't you worry about Todd."

"Oh?"

Tommy just grinned. "I'll take care of it." He gave her a knowing look. "Goodbye, Doctor Murphy."

She closed the door once he was gone and then hurried back into the kitchen. She found Megan leaning against the counter, clutching her coffee. Her eyes lit up when she saw Kate and the blonde smiled as she walked over to Megan, gently placing her hands on her arms. Questioning blue eyes searched her face and she could see the glimmer of hope.

"It's over," she whispered as she leant in and softly kissed her. "It's over, Megan."

"I know," Megan breathed. "But I'm still going to have to explain to Jonathan McEldery's family that he died because of what I did."

"It can wait," Kate said and rested her forehead against Megan's. "There will be a time but it is not now. Right now…. It is about you and me, about us and about what's out there." She smiled. "I know we said we'd wait and see where things end up but how about we take a leap of faith here, huh? Maybe we can make things happen."

"You and me?" Megan asked.

"And Lacey," Kate said and cupped Megan's cheek. "She's part of this too. She's a clever girl, Megan. She takes after you. I'm sure she'll understand. Maybe not today or tomorrow but eventually she will. Or she may surprise us and be fine. We don't have to decide now but we know that we can work something out. After all, between both our bad track records when it comes to relationships, we must be able to figure out what we did wrong so we can do them right this time?"

Megan smiled. "You know what I said about us asking when any of this seemed like a good idea?"

"Yeah?"

She leant in and kissed Kate. This was right, for whatever reasons. Whatever had happened along the way, all her mistakes and screw ups and accidents and fall outs, it had all led her to this very moment. Maybe she was meant to be this scarred because without them she wouldn't be who she was. Maybe they were both meant to be just this way, because it worked. They weren't perfect. Both of them were flawed. Maybe that was why they had found each other, because two people who had been through some bad things recognised the good things because they'd seen the bad.

Megan just smiled and let her fingers trail down Kate's jaw. " Forget what I said. I don't think this was ever a bad idea at all."

* * *

**End.**


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